Mix and Match
by Meitantei4869
Summary: Shizune is forced to transfer to Rakuzan High due to her father's work. There, she falls hard for Reo and develops curiosity on who exactly Akashi Seijuro is. Akashi, on the other hand, finds the female detective rather amusing. Akashi X Kudo. one sided Kudo X Reo. Female Shinichi. BEWARE: this is done out of boredom and obsession of the cross-pairing- Disclaimer: I own nothing-
1. Transfer

Kudo Shizune. A girl who is recognized all over Tokyo as a high school detective. Her intelligence has helped the police many times in solving cases and when she's not on a case, she lives a very normal high school life in Teitan High. Now, the said girl was being approached by a boy of her age wearing a worried face.

"Shizune…are you feeling sick?"

Mouri Ren asked his childhood friend who was staring outside the window on her seat. No response came from the brunette so he proceeds to give a slight shake on her shoulder.

"What?" Shizune annoyingly said.

"don't "what" me. You've been spacing out lately…Are you sick or did something happen?"

The girl silently looked at him for a while, "it's nothing, Ren. I'm fine."

"really?"

"geez Ren. You sure you're a boy? You're acting just like a mother." She said with a smug face which caused Ren's eye to twitch.

"fine. If you say so..if you have anything problems then tell me, 'kay?"

"yes, yes, mother—" she lazily shooed the boy away and resumed staring outside the window. '_today…is the last day, huh?'_

* * *

"morning guys!" Ren entered then scanned the classroom for Shizune. They usually walk to school together from her house but when he rang the doorbell, no one came to answer and the gate was locked so he assumed that she had already left for school. When there was no sign of the girl, he became worried. '_did something happen?...'_

"everyone, get to your seats!" Their homeroom teacher went to her desk in the class and set her register down. "I have some news for all of you. Kudo-san has transferred to Kyoto due to family reasons and will go to Rakuzan High over there."

The whole class gasped in shock as their school's pride and glory was no longer with them. Ren, who took much more shock than the others, realized that his childhood friend's strange state was because of this and wondered why she didn't bother to tell him.

Did she think that he would get in the way with his mother hen attitude? Did she think that it was too much of a bother to tell him? Prior today, the male never felt so alone. A tear threatened to fall from the soft hearted boy's eyes but he managed to hold them in.

* * *

Throwing herself on her bed, the young brunette stared at the ceiling and visions Ren's face in her mind. He has been the person she loved since childhood. She hated herself for not being able to tell him about the transfer. She also hated her parents who suddenly came home from America and told her that they were going to move to Kyoto. Apparently a guy who her dad got acquainted with offered him a place in one of his companies. The offer was too good to turn down so he accepted it.

Looking at her new uniform, she wonder how the new school was going to be. There were rumors of the school's basketball team never lost and that they managed to get their hands on a player from a group called the Generations of Miracles. Born only to love mysteries and soccer, she didn't take much notice to it.

"hope there's no annoying guys over there like the ones from my fan club…chasing off those kind of people will be a pain…" Muttering those words, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

Morning came rather quick for Shizune. She slipped on her shoes, grabbed her brown school bag and quickly headed off to school. She made her way to the teachers' lounge once she arrived and went to class, escorted by the homeroom teacher.

"everyone..please head back to your seats." He calmly said and the students scurried to their seats. Some started whispering to each other when they saw an unfamiliar face entering the class with their teacher.

"I'm sure all of you have heard that a transfer student is coming to our class today." The man turned to the female, "well. Please introduce yourself."

She nodded and faced the class. "my name is Kudo Shizune. I came from Tokyo. Please give me your guidance." She ended with a sweet smile which swooned the boys in the class, except one.

"now, take your seat beside Akashi-kun. Akashi-kun, if you would please..."

A scarlet haired boy with a cold expression stood up and gestured lowly to the seat next to him which was by the window at the back seat. "over here."

'_even in this school, I still end up next to the window huh…'_ she sighed inside her mind and walked towards him. "thanks" The brunette sat down and the boy called Akashi sat down too. After that, class started like usual.

"so you're a detective huh, Kudo-chan?"

"how do you handle looking at those dead guys?"

"do you have a boyfriend?"

Shizune was being bombarded with questions by the others when class ended. Thinking that it was the only polite response, she struggled to answer. Honestly, she was tired but she has a pride to protect so she entertained them.

"stop asking her questions. She's being bothered by them."

Akashi, who was minding his own business at his seat, suddenly told— or rather commanded them —to cease their actions. The students backed down at once, leaving the brunette feeling thankful and slightly confused. Why did they listen to him without any retorts?

"thanks, Akashi-kun…"

"don't mention it. It was your fault for not being able to chase them off."

The girl felt her eye twitch. "well, I'll just pretend I didn't hear that last part…"

School ended real fast and everyone was either heading back home or to their clubs. Shizune headed off to the soccer club to apply as a player but was immediately turned down because they don't accept female players. Bummed out, she sat down on a bench near the gym and scanned a list of clubs that she could apply for.

"if this place had a club as interesting as the soccer club, it'll be an easier choice…" she sighed.

"ah— watch out!"

The brunette's head came in contact with what felt like a basketball after a sudden shout. The impact was so strong and hard that she immediately passed out on the bench. A young boy panicked as he ran up to her.

"oh no…what should I do..I'm gonna get in a lot of tro-"

"what's the matter, freshman-kun?"

"M-Mibuchi-senpai!"

The boy turned to face a tall male with jet black hair who approached him. The tall male looked at the girl who was currently out of commission and let out a heavy sigh.

"how did this happen?"

"w-well…I- I was kinda showing off to my girlfriend and I accidently kicked the ball. It then hit her on the face..I'm sorry!"

He apologized a lot of times and the one called Mibuchi raised Shizune up, carrying her bridal style. "now, now. I know you're feeling sorry but it's no use apologizing to me. You can apologize to her when she wakes up" With that, he left to go to the nurse's office.

* * *

Her eyes shot open and she sat up like a spring on a bed. The brunette's cerulean orbs scanned the surrounding area and they fell upon a smiling male beside her.

"good to see you've finally awaken, dear~"

'_he speaks like a girl…' _She gave him a stare and questioned him with a suspicious tone in her voice, ignoring her throbbing head.

"where am I?"

"you're in the infirmary. A freshman hit your head with a—"

"basketball. I got a glimpse of it."

"I see..ah, I forgot. I'm Mibuchi Reo. A second-year. Nice to meet you~" He introduced himself and gave a very sweet smile that immediately sent cupid's arrow to the young detective's heart.

"a-ah..I'm Kudo Shizune. Nice to meet you too, senpai.." she smiled nervously and tried to calm her pounding heart. The detective was a person who didn't and never believed in love at first sight but this shemale (or what she claims him to be) changed her whole way of thinking. '_dammit, cupid …'_

"ah, are you the new transfer student?"

"yes…how did you know?"

"I saw the paper you were looking at and Sei-chan did say a girl transferred into his class~"

"Is that so- Sei-chan?" She raised an eyebrow at the affectionate tone he used to say the name.

"Akashi Seijuro. He's the president of the student council and the captain of the basketball team~"

The redhead beside her in class came to her mind as she knitted her brows, puzzled by how someone like him could be the captain **and **the president for the student council. He's just a first year student.

Mibuchi chuckled in amusement looking at the brunette. "don't think too hard about it. Say, if you really want to find out more about Sei-chan, why don't you enter the basketball club as our manager? I'm sure it'll be very helpful for you to get some info since I don't think you'll find out much by just being in the same class as him. 'sides, we do need a manager~"

After giving the idea some thought, Shizune agreed. '_well, I can also use this as a chance to get closer to Mibuchi-senpai..killing two birds with one stone, huh?' _In an instant, Ren's face appeared in her head. _'Ren…' _She was certain that he was the person on the other side of her red thread of destiny but...somehow, that certainty started to waver.

* * *

"This is Kudo-san who will be acting as the manager for our club. Please give her your guidance." The coach, Shirogane Eiji, said to the boys lined up in front of him inside the gym while lowly gesturing to the female beside him.

She bowed, "I'm Kudo."

The boys made a small commotion because someone had chosen to become their team's manager. Girls normally stay away from the club because of a certain someone's intimidating aura. They were excited that they, at last, get a female touch in the man filled club of theirs. Even so, a few of them had some complaints.

"tsk. Just because I heard we were having a manager, I expected her to have more sex appeal…"

"I agree…Her looks are okay but the chest…"

"haa…it's really depressing…"

Shizune felt her vein pop as she heard some of the first year members continue complaining about how flat she was. She was about to smack their heads and murder them with the bench when Mibuchi did the job for her. Only, he used a paper fan.

"It's very rude to say those things to a girl! Apologize now!"

"but Mibuchi-senpai—"

"right now!"

Reluctantly, they apologized to the detective who also reluctantly forgave them. Mibuchi huffed in annoyance at the first years before turning to Shizune who timidly approached him.

"thanks, Mibuchi-senpai"

He sweetly smiled to her, "don't mention it. they were the ones who didn't know how to take care of a lady's feelings"

She couldn't help but giggle at his statement. "senpai is really an interesting person"

"oh but Sei-chan is much more of a interesting person~"

This reminded the brunette about her motive of entering the club. She wanted to find out more about Akashi and also if he would be a love rival to her.

"now then, I have to go. See you later~"

Shizune watched as Mibuchi left to join the others for practice. She sat down on the bench and rested her head between her palms, observing the team's practice.

'_now then…first day and everything's sorted out. I wonder what kind of things will happen while I'm in this school…'_

* * *

**well- whaddya think?  
I'm not really good with writing so-  
****anyway, could you please gimme any comments on this?  
I wanna know how I did-  
**thanks!


	2. An Invitation from Destiny…?

Life as the team's manager wasn't a challenge for the young girl except for taking care of sweaty shirts and towels. There were cases where she had to clip her nose with a clothespin to block out the smell and other cases, gas mask.

Mibuchi— as requested by the coach —helped her out a lot and believe me, she almost passed on to the other world every time he helped. The others also got attached to her and there were some who are very protective of their female member. Though she was going on as a normal manager, she didn't forget her real motive of entering the basketball club which was Akashi. The stuff she managed to find out so far was:-

1. He was a member of the Generation of Miracles and his strategies & tactics in games are the main reason Rakuzan kept on winning.

2. His family is loaded.

3. He does not know defeat.

4. He has a fan-club even though he's very intimidating.

5. He's the top in school when it comes to tests.

Shizune put a slim finger on her cheek as she pondered over the data she collected. It still didn't describe who exactly Akashi Seijuro was and she was determined to pry out more information from every single human in the school. Even teachers but asking the person himself was out of the question. She doesn't want him thinking she's a fan or anything that goes with it.

To people, it might sound like she's going to far and that it's unneeded to even get to know Akashi but to her, his very existence was intriguing. Call it a detective's curiousity or whatever you prefer. She wasn't going to stop until she was satisfied. Of course, this didn't stop her from scoring bizarre, but not bizarre as Akashi's, marks in her tests.

"Shizu-chan~"

Hayama Kotarou, a regular from the team, ran up to her, wearing a huge grin on his face. Shizune turned to face the senior, trying to ignore the nickname which she got stuck with. Frankly speaking, she hated the nickname. Her mother calls her with the same nickname and it never fails to irritate her. Not matter how many times she tells the two to stop using the nickname, they ignore her and call her with it anyways.

"what is it, Hayama-senpai?" she asked dryly.

"uwaa— so cold…" he puffed out his cheeks. "why can't you be more nicer to me like how you are with Reo-nee?"

"Mibuchi-senpai is different."

"how so?"

"he's not as annoying as Hayama-senpai is" she gave a teasing smirk to Hayama which made him huff in dissatisfaction but he quickly switched back to his usual cheerful self.

"well putting that aside, Akashi said he wants to see you!"

She blinked a few times trying to register what he said. "pardon?"

"I said— Akashi wants to see you. He says it's important so you better hurry! He's in the clubroom"

"okay!"

Shizune quickly rushed to the clubroom and upon entering, she found Akashi arranging a few piles mountains of papers on a table. Seeing that he hadn't —or he did but chose to say nothing— notice her, she tapped his shoulder.

"you called?"

He took a glance at her before gesturing to the papers. "sort these out with me."

"…all of them?"

"obviously. After all you currently don't have anything to do."

She let out a sigh before doing as told. They worked in utter silence, excluding the sound of papers being moved, until Shizune decided that the silence was going to kill her.

"say, can I ask you something, Akashi?"

"dropping the '–kun' already?"

"do you want me to use it?"

Since he didn't answer, the brunette took it as "I don't care whether you use it or not" and "yes you can ask me even though you did ask me something just now"

"is it true that you um…don't know defeat?"

"it is true."

"meaning in basketball only? Or everything…"

"I'm sure that the people you asked have answered that."

_Ouch. He knew…_ "yea but, I need confirmation"

Akashi sighed, "is this another one of your detective games?"

"it's not. I just found you rather interesting."

He looked directly at her, making her think that it might have been better to keep her mouth shut. Once again, the clubroom was filled with silence. It was already 5pm and there was still some more left before they could leave.

"this is never ending…" Shizune groaned and leaned back on the chair she was sitting on.

"if you would stop complaining, we would have finished faster." Akashi said, putting the pile he sorted out beside him.

"but—" a light yellow coloured envelope made her pause her protest as she reached over to take it from under the table they're working on.

"Akashi, this yours?"

His mismatched eyes moved their gaze to the envelope. Realizing what it was, he took it from her hands and shoved it in his pocket. "yes."

"what is it—"

"just get back to sorting."

After being scolded— or at least that's what she felt it was —by him, the girl quickly resumed the job and made sure that she kept her mouth zipped. It did cross her mind that this would be the perfect chance to ask stuff about the red haired boy but she didn't want to annoy him with the million questions she had and annoying him was the last thing she'd do, courtesy of warnings from the other club members.

* * *

Shizune dragged herself back to her place late in the evening after all the papers were sorted out and Akashi gave her permission to leave. Entering the mansion (her family's loaded too), she went up to her room, threw her bag on the bed and ran off straight to the bathroom.

Tying her shoulder length hair into a bun, she sunk herself deep into the tub. Just when she was getting comfy, someone knocked on the door making her frown. The girl wrapped herself with a towel and opened the door to face her not-surprisingly-excited mother, Kudo Yukiko.

"Shizu-chan, I've got big news for you!"

"how many times do I have to tell you to not call me that and what's so important that you had to ruin my alone time in the tub?" She grumbled. Shizune never understood how her mother could be so hyper even though she's a middle-aged woman. (no offence to the middle-aged woman reading this)

"well first, put on your clothes. Then, join me and your father in the living room. You'll find out all about it over there~"

"and if I refuse?"

"I'll make sure your baby photos go public"

With that, the girl raced up to her room and came down wearing her pajamas. The family sat down facing each other with— one annoyed, one bubbly and one scheming —smiles. You guess which one is which.

"so what's the big news, mom? Dad?"

"well, Shizune" her father, Kudo Yusaku, started. "do you remember the person who offered me a place in his company?"

"which caused me to transfer here and leave my peaceful life in Tokyo? Yea, I remember." She answered sarcastically.

Yusaku chuckled at his daughter's reply and continued, "he has invited us to his birthday party so I need you to go shopping with your mother for a nice dress." he handed her a familiar light yellow envelope. "Here's for some additional info. The party's on the day after tomorrow so I expect you to get a dress by tomorrow."

"what?" the girl said in dismay after taking a glance at the contents. "dad, tomorrow's a holiday. I don't want to spend it shopping with mom…and I hate wearing dresses! Can't only the two of you go?"

"no can do, sweetie. He said he wants to see the whole family so you are needed." Yukiko giggled. " 'sides, I heard he has a very handsome son so consider the invitation an invitation from destiny~"

Shizune couldn't help but groan. "mom…."

"oh, I forgot. You're forever connected to Ren-kun, am I right?"

Her face turned a bright red, "w-w-what the hell are you saying!?"

"oh my, she's embarrassed~"

"now, now dear. Stop teasing Shizune."

"alright~ but Shizu-chan, you have to attend the party. Otherwise your baby photos are going—"

"fine I'll go!"

Yukiko and Yusaku exchanged accomplished looks before saying in unison, "that's my girl"

* * *

After their talk, Shizune collapsed on her bed and kept on releasing dying moans & groans about how she hated parties and dresses and mainly the man who invited them.

"why is life doing this to me…"

She muttered before dozing off. Little did she know that she's on the day of the party, a big package of surprise was waiting for her.

* * *

**dun, dun, dun-  
well, we're gonna get more Akashi in the next one-  
hope you enjoyed it- ;^;**


	3. Party, Fathers, Case

The day of the party has arrived. Shizune put on the most bored look she had as she followed her parents in the huge mansion. Fortunately, she managed to get a dress for herself. It looked sleek with its shiny black fabric and its slight parting on the side.

The dress was only supported by spaghetti straps and Shizune wore long black gloves to accompany it. Much wasn't done to her hair but she put on a black headband to make it look much more decent. Mother's orders.

Yukiko gave a short sigh before whispering to her daughter. "Shizu-chan. Smile now, dear. It's improper for a young lady like you to wear a such an expression."

"how can I smile when I'm in a dress?" she whispered back, annoyance in her voice.

"you're a girl, for crying out loud…try not to complain so much"

When they reached the party hall, they were greeted by the host who Shizune found had a striking resemblance to a certain person she knew. His hair was red in colour and his eyes matched it. He had a small mustache and the dark grey suit he wore made him look real smart. Even though he's suppose to be about the same age as Yusaku, he looked much more older.

"thank you for coming, Kudo-san." The man smiled to the three.

Yusaku bowed to him and returned the smile. "it's my pleasure to be invited to your party, Akashi-san."

The name made Shizune twitch and her facial expression turned deadpan. '_don't tell me…'_

"to think that your father was acquainted to mine.."

She turned to see Akashi in a black suit which made him look like a business man more than a high school student. The girl's jaw dropped when she saw him. It was beyond her expectations to see Akashi Seijuro here and that the person who her dad was working with was his father.

"A-Akashi—"

"oh? You two know each other?" Yukiko asked. Her eyes shining with interest and excitement.

"yes. We are classmates and also from the same club, ma'am." Akashi coolly answered seeing that Shizune was too shocked to do it.

"ara- what a coincidence~" she giggled and leaned over to her daughter who was recovering from the shock to whisper to her. "seems like it _was_ an invitation from destiny~"

"mom. Quit it."

Yukiko backed up from her growling princess and went to her husband's side snickering all the way. Shizune frowned when she heard a chuckle coming from Akashi.

"what's so amusing?"

"nothing is. But if I had to say, it's the way you act with your parents."

She crossed her arms and raised a brow. "which part of it is amusing?"

"everything."

The girl just rolled her eyes and muttered something not allowed to be put in this story. PG-13 okay?

"by the way, you look nice in that dress" he smiled slightly.

Shizune blinked a few times and turned around to hide her face which was becoming red. "r-really?"

"really."

"well tha—"

"Seijuro." The older Akashi walked over to the two with a smile plastered on his face. "I want to speak to Mr. and Mrs. Kudo in private until it's time so I'm sure I can leave the task of being a host to the young lady to you."

"yes, father."

"good. now, this way please"

Yukiko gave her daughter a wink before leaving with the two men, ignoring the fact she was glaring daggers at her. The two teenagers then joined the other guests who were all helping themselves to the luxurious food served on tables around the hall. Well, Shizune was the one who joined them. Akashi just stayed with her— due to his dad's request —and didn't even touch any of the food.

The brunette stopped eating and leaned closer to him. "Akashi, why aren't you eating?"

"I'm not hungry."

"yea right. you are, aren't you? It's written all over your face."

"don't talk like you know everyth—"

His words were cut off by her shoving a piece of her food in his mouth. She grinned happily as he swallowed it and glared at her.

"what do you think you're doing…?" he growled.

"what do you think I'm doing? Feeding you of course."

The smug tone in her voice made the redhead form a slight pout on his lips in annoyance. Feeling satisfied with his reaction which she found cute, Shizune resumed eating with a wide smile on her face.

* * *

"so I guess we have an agreement, Kudo-san?"

"yes. I'll leave her in your hands until it's time."

"my, Shizu-chan's going to flip when we tell her about this…"

* * *

The older Akashi stood in the middle of the hall and slowly tapped his wine glass with a spoon to get the guests attention. Everyone turned to him and ceased what they were doing. The whole place turned quiet and only the soft whispers of some of the guests could be heard.

"I would like to thank all of you for taking the time to come to my birthday party. It is very appreciated. I hope and wish that our relationships will continue without any problems, you could say. I would also like to say that my friend, the famous Kudo Yusaku and his family, is here joining us today." He announced and gestured towards the said person.

Yusaku blinked and waved lowly at everyone who turned and clapped for him. Yusaku is famous for the novels he writes and especially for his work called the "Night Baron". Yukiko has the same popularity as a retired actor and also as a female detective called "Night Baroness" though the title only is known in America.

"now then, please do enjoy your time here, everyone." Mr. Akashi finished and the guests did as so.

But the lively atmosphere didn't last very long. A long, shrill, bone-chilling scream was all that it took to end it. By reflex, Shizune left her plate on a table and rushed to the source of the scream. Akashi, interested in what the cause of the scream was, followed behind her. The ones in the hall started a commotion and a few males went to check it out too.

* * *

Once she made a turn in a corner, a woman staggered and dropped into Shizune's arms.

"i-in there…m-my husband…h-he seemed dead!" the woman stuttered and pointed a trembling finger to the restroom.

"some things never change…" she muttered and ran over to the place to find a man collapsed on the ground surrounded by a big pool of blood. His right hand was extended and beside it was some words— K Y KUCHI (kuchi is in katakana) —written in blood.

Shizune bended down and searched for his pulse but didn't manage to get it. She shut her eyes and mumbled a small prayer for the deceased. Akashi then walked in and a small gasp escaped his lips at the sight.

"I'll notify father and request him to call the police."

"yea..you do that.."

* * *

Soon after receiving the call, the police arrived and sealed off the crime scene. The deceased was identified as Matsumoto Shiro, 41. He's the president of an art company's who was in close terms with the Akashi family. According to the forensics, he died about 20 minutes before he was found. The cause of death was a single shot to the chest, near the heart but it didn't cause an instant death.

A fat man in a suit with a mustache wearing a hat named Inspector Megure crouched and put his hand under his chin, examining the writings once the body was brought out. "could this be his dying message?" he wondered out loud.

"it seems so.."

Shizune mumbled over Megure's shoulder. He jumped at her voice and exclaimed, "Kudo-kun! What are you doing here?"

"dad's invited to the party and I got dragged along."

"is that so..that aside, what do you think of this message, Kudo-kun?"

"well, it's safe to assume that this KUCHI is the same as the KUCHI for mouth but why katakana? The kanji is easier to write…maybe the culprit wrote it..or maybe it has a different meaning..or maybe.." Shizune leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, lost in thought. Megure sighed and ordered his subordinate, Takagi, to interrogate the guests and hosts to find out their alibis. He also ordered him to search the entire mansion for the murder weapon.

* * *

The suspects were at last narrowed down to only 3 people. The other guests were requested to return home since keeping them there would cause a huge inconvenience to the guests. All four had no alibis and motives to murder Matsumoto although they strongly deny killing him.

The first suspect, who is also the first to discover the body, is Matsumoto Haruka. She is Matsumoto's wife and during the time of the murder, she said she was out on the balcony getting fresh air alone. She then went to the restroom and found the deceased. According to the president's secretary, she argues with Matsumoto on a daily basis because she suspects him cheating on her. He also committed violence towards her.

The second is Yasekawa Kanato. He's the vice-president of the art company and he said he was at the corner of the hall eating alone when he heard the scream. The possible motive is that Matsumoto found out about him embezzling the company's money and told him that if he doesn't give him a certain sum every month, Matsumoto will hand him over to the police.

The final suspect is Kitagawa Yuri. She's Matsumoto's personal secretary and is the one his wife suspects of having an affair with. During the time of the murder, she was walking around in the mansion as a tour for herself. She received sexual harassment from the president. Even though she said it wasn't that bad, it still qualified as a motive.

The murder weapon wasn't found anywhere in the mansion. After a body inspection, none of them brought anything resembling a gun and there weren't any gunpowder residue on them. The suspects were then requested to lay out their belongings on a table for the police to check.

A handkerchief, a wallet, house keys, compact powder, lipstick & cough drops for Haruka.

"did you come here by taxi or train?" Shizune asked, noticing the absence of car keys.

"Inspector, who is this girl?"

"she's helping out in the investigation. Now, please answer her."

"I came here by car."

"but, the keys…"

"My husband drove us here so he held on to the keys."

"I see…"

A handkerchief, a wallet, car keys, house keys & some pills for Yasekawa.

"Yasekawa-san, what are these pills for?"

"I had a slight headache before coming here. I brought them just in case it returns…"

"heh…"

House keys, car keys, a handkerchief, lipstick, a wallet & a notebook for Kitagawa.

"excuse me, why did you bring a notebook to the party?"

"Matsumoto-san said that he wanted to discuss something with me so I thought that I might need it."

"Is that so…"

"well, there isn't anything suspicious..you may retrieve your things."

The suspects did as told while Shizune pondered over the whole case. Akashi silently observed her trying to solve it from a corner with his hands shoved in his pockets. Unknowingly to her, Akashi himself did a little research on her. From her fan websites and rumors from the internet, he gained interest towards her just like how she gained interest towards him.

Yusaku smiled to himself as he already knew who the killer was but chose to stay quiet to see how his child would do. Yukiko let out her sigh seeing her husband's resolve and approached her troubled daughter then slowly nudged her arm. "Shizu-chan, how is it? solved it already?"

"no…" Shizune hung her head. "I can't figure out anything…When the killer shot Matsumoto-san, he probably used a silencer so that no one would hear the sound of the gun and run to the crime scene, not letting him have enough time to escape. The dying message K Y could be directed to Kitagawa-san or Yasekawa-san but the word KUCHI is still a mystery…" she opened her phone and gave another look at the bloody writings she took a picture of.

"nn? This is…" the detective squinted her eyes and realized that beside the CHI character was a small blood stain trailed to the deceased's finger. Like he was going to start a new word or something.

"but still, it's weird..."

"eh? What is weird, mom?"

"well, you see, Shizu-chan—" Yukiko started.

"since we're not getting anymore information on this and we have no reason to keep you here, please give your contact information then you may leave." Megure announced to the 3 suspects who let out a sigh of relief.

"see? It's weird, isn't it?"

Shizune's eyes widened at her mother's words and she grinned happily. "thanks mom!"

Realizing she solved the case, Akashi smirked to himself. _'it's about time…show me your so called brilliant deduction, Kudo Shizune.'_

"Inspector, I'm afraid they can't leave yet."

"eh?" the three exclaimed.

"what do you mean by that, Kudo-kun? Don't tell me you already—"

"exactly. The culprit who murdered Matsumoto-san…" Shizune flipped her hair and paused before pointing her right index finger confidently to a certain person. "is you!"

* * *

**gah...I really suck at these kind of things-  
****trying to create the case was quite hard..."OTL  
****well, hope you enjoyed it~**


	4. Deduction of Truth

"exactly. The culprit who murdered Matsumoto-san…" Shizune flipped her hair and paused before pointing her right index finger confidently to a certain person. "is you!"

Everyone immediately turned to the direction she was pointing and their eyes widened in shock.

"a-are you kidding me?" Kitagawa Yuri snapped at the young detective and put a hand on her chest. "why am I the murderer!? Don't make blind accusations! Even if I did kill the president, how do you think I did it!?"

"Kudo-kun…" Megure worriedly looked at her.

"Kitagawa-san" She started. "First you called Matsumoto-san and asked him to meet you. Since it was you, he wouldn't think twice, I'm sure. Most probably, you used some sweet words to seduce him to come and set the restroom as the meeting place to give him some ideas making the chance of him coming much more higher. Then when he arrived, you made sure no one was around and shot him." The brunette motioned the action with her hand and smirked.

"but the police found no gunpowder residue on me! How do you explain that!?"

"oh, that's easy. I'm sure you prepared a similar dress to the one you're wearing and changed into it."

Kitagawa clenched her teeth and growled. "if so, where is the dress now?"

"if I was you, I'd already dispose of it. Throwing it in a rubbish bin would be risky so I'm guessing you cut it real small and flushed it down the toilet right after you changed."

"if so, that means you don't have any proof." Akashi chose to interrupt. "And what about the murder weapon? Where is it now?"

"since the police already searched the entire place and found nothing, the culprit must still in possession of it."

"but, Kudo-kun. We already did a body inspection and checked their belongings but the murder weapon was—"

"that's right! I didn't have anything resembling the murder weapon!" The woman crossed her arms and raised her head angrily. "don't make stupid accusations when you don't have any proof!"

Not affected by her words, Shizune confidently said, "K Y KUCHI."

"huh?"

"this is the victim's dying message. What do you think it means?"

"how should I know?"

"this dying message was written by Matsumoto-san during his last breath to reveal the killer's name."

"K Y…Kitagawa Yuri…" Akashi muttered.

"are you serious?" Kitagawa laughed and shot a finger to Yasekawa. "If it's someone with the initials K Y, wouldn't he fit? His name _is_ Yasekawa Kanato"

"also K Y only in a different order…Kudo-kun, she's right. You can't make her the culprit by just that and also the other part of the dying message which is KUCHI…what does that mean?"

"Inspector, next to the CHI character there's a small blood stain trailed to the deceased's finger. This means that word he wanted to write didn't end at the CHI character."

"even so, we don't know what the word is" Megure exclaimed.

"exactly. Looks like your deduction is really flawed, young girl" she smirked.

"Kitagawa-san, why didn't you bring a mirror?"

"eh?"

"usually, women would bring a compact mirror so that it would be easy to fix their make-up but when you showed your belongings just now, there wasn't a mirror anywhere."

"I- I thought that I wouldn't be needing it so—"

"Also, I see that even though you brought a lipstick, you're not applying it. Is there a particular reason?"

"n-now that you mention it…"

Kitagawa clenched her fists and glared at her. Seeing that she wasn't going to argue, Shizune continued with her deduction.

"the KUCHI in the dying message wasn't the KUCHI from mouth but, the KUCHI from lipstick. He was implying to the lipstick you brought"

"I see!" Takagi who was silently listening exclaimed. "The victim wanted to write KUCHIBENI (lipstick) but he died before he managed to write it!"

"but, how can a lipstick kill someone like a gun?" Akashi questioned. He had many disagreements on it.

"it can." Yusaku voiced up. "there's a metallic item which looks like a lipstick but if you pull the bottom and then push it, it can serve as a normal gun*****."

"if it's not the weapon we're looking for, I'm sure you wouldn't mind letting the police check the lipstick, right?"

At the lost of words to argue back, Kitagawa collapse on the floor and kept her head low. "I..killed him…"

"why? Is it because of the sexual harassment he did to you?" Haruka asked.

"hmph. Like I'd kill him for a trivial reason like that. That man…That man killed my only brother, Seichi, two years ago!"

"eh?"

"Seichi…" Yasekawa mumbled. "are you talking about Sakaguchi Seichi? But he committed suicide!"

"that man drove him into suicide!" She clenched her teeth and started to tear up. "He pretended to help my brother by publishing his artworks but instead of publishing them under my brother's name, he published it under another artist he favored. My brother didn't know about this until one day he sent one of his artworks to an exhibition but got rejected because they said it was a copy of another artist's."

"Realizing what had happened, my brother confronted Matsumoto and said that he would reveal it to everyone but he was told that even though he did, no one would believe him. My brother then got shunned by many because he tried to send a copied artwork to the exhibition and he chose suicide…I found out the truth one month ago by coincidence from the artist that stole my brother's artwork when he got drunk. After learning about it, I changed my last name and swore revenge on Matsumoto"

"I had no idea my husband did that sort of thing…"

"but, why did you commit the murder here?" Shizune asked softly. "if you killed Matsumoto-san at his own home, it would've been easier…"

"if I did it during the party, I thought that the number of suspects will increase and the risk of me getting caught would be lower but I guess I was wrong…" A tear rolled down her cheek and she raised her head up. "Matsumoto must be laughing at me from the other world right now…"

Megure nodded once to Takagi. He walked over to Kitagawa and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Kitagawa-san, please follow us to the station."

After the police and the other two guests left, Mr. Akashi went over to Shizune and patted her a few times on the shoulder, laughing heartily. "that was a brilliant deduction, Shizune-kun! You certainly are your father's daughter!"

"t-thank you. But dad," she turned to Yusaku who was smiling widely. "you didn't have to cut in and tell the murder weapon..I could've done it myself, y'know.."

"I couldn't take it anymore. Keeping quiet really kills" He replied with a goofy grin.

Shizune rolled her eyes and moved over to Akashi wearing a big smile on her face. "what do you think?"

"about what?"

"how I solved the case, of course. What do you think about it?"

"it wasn't bad. Even though you're not the type to know such feminine stuff, you managed to solve it." he smugly said.

"what do you mean by that?" she huffed but then grinned. "well, it's thanks to my mom that I could solve it. She was the one who told me about the mirror"

"Is that so…but why are you asking my opinion on your deduction?"

"eh? Now that you mention it, why am I…" She tapped her finger on her chin and looked up to the ceiling.

Akashi let out a short sigh and shifted his gaze to their parents who walked over to them.

"Shizu-chan, we have a little something to tell you" Yukiko smiled sweetly at the two which sent shivers down Shizune's spine. "the thing is, your father and I are returning to America because Akashi-san's company's branch over there needs some management"

"Kudo-san is the perfect person for the job, you see"

"why thank you, Akashi-san"

"and?" Shizune crossed her arms "That's not all, isn't it?"

"well, we feel a little worried about leaving you to live alone in the mansion—"

"even though I've been living alone in Tokyo while you guys were fooling around in America?" She interrupted Yukiko.

"that's Tokyo. You know the area perfectly so there's no need to worry but this is Kyoto. You hardly know the place." Yusaku explained calmly.

"so, your father and I have decided that you will be staying in the Akashi residence for some time. Akashi-san himself suggested to do so"

"I see...wait, what!?" Shizune shouted in shock.

"see? I told you she would flip out~" Yukiko grinned while holding out her hand to the two males, forming a V sign with her fingers.

"mom! Why do I need to stay here? not that I don't like this place but I can manage myself perfectly—"

"by eating bento from the convenience store on a daily basis or sometimes eating the food Ren-kun brings?"

That immediately shut Shizune up. Without her knowing, the Kudo couple had already packed their stuff along with their daughter's clothes because they were leaving for America after the party.

"why is life doing this to me…"

Shizune lamented and Akashi couldn't help but chuckled.

"are you so against living here?"

"of course. 'cause that means I have to live under the same roof as you."

"Seijuro, please bring Shizune-kun and her luggage to her room while I see Kudo-san and Yukiko-san off"

"yes father."

* * *

"for now, this'll be your room."

Akashi gestured for her to enter and he set her stuff next to the bed. Shizune looked around the room. It was very big. A desk is set beside a queen sized bed and the bathroom is only a few steps away from it. _'as expected from the Akashi's…'_ She thought.

"well, enjoy your stay."

After he left, the girl changed into her night attire and threw herself on the bed. Never in her whole entire life would she expect that she would be living under the same room with Akashi's and his family. Feeling bored, she flipped open her phone to find someone to bother. Her eyes turned soft when she saw a picture of her and Ren at the amusement park which she set as her wallpaper.

'_Ren...wonder how's he doing right now…maybe I should give him a call sometime to not let him worry'_

At the same time, the said boy was also wondering how his childhood friend was doing in Kyoto. "Shizune…" he mumbled softly. Noticing it was already late, he switched off the lights and went off to sleep.

* * *

***got it from an episode in Detective Conan's live action series. It's quite hard to explain how it works…**

**yea I know...the case and the proof and everything sucks- "OTL  
but it was the best I could come up with xD  
maa- hope you liked it though-**


	5. Summer Camp, Unexpected Mystery

"Shizu-chan. Sei-chan. good morning~" Mibuchi cheerfully greeted his juniors who was walking to class.

"good morning, Reo."

"good morning, Mibuchi-senpai…"

"ara? Is something the matter, Shizu-chan?"

He worriedly asked the girl who was surrounded by some sort of depressed aura accompanied with bags under her eyes. He also took a glance over to Akashi who was wearing a "don't ask me" expression.

"the people of the Akashi family are monsters…"

"eh?"

"senpai!" Shizune whipped her head over to Mibuchi who instantly twitched in surprise. "Who gets up at 5 in the morning even on a holiday!? Tell me, who?"

"uh…" By those words, he could already figure out the problem. Yesterday, Shizune sent him a mail about her staying at his Sei-chan's house for some time because of their parents selfish little decision. Of course he was surprised at first but then after some explanations, he couldn't help but think that their parents had something under their sleeve.

Mibuchi gave a soft pat on her shoulder and smiled. "now, now. I'm sure you'll get used to it soon"

"hope so…"

* * *

"Eikichi! That's my drink!"

Mibuchi whined at Nebuya who was gulping down the clear energy drink without any care of the world. The other members watch as the two started to bicker inside the gym.

"eh..you're being noisy, Mibuchi…"

"of course! You are drinking my energy drink which I already drank some of it! It's like an indirect kiss, for god's sake!"

"what the hell are you talking about…" Nebuya's face wrinkled with disgust at Mibuchi's words as he closed the bottle cap tightly.

"I'm talking about—" Mibuchi snatched the bottle and put his hands on his hips. "how unpleasant it is having an indirect kiss with someone like you!" he ended his complaints with his finger hovering just a few millimeters away from Nebuya's face. "if it was Sei-chan, I wouldn't mind…"

"the hell is going on in that brain of yours.."

"ano…."

"ara, Shizu-chan. Since when were you there?"

"s-since the indirect kiss part…" She stuttered, her mind still trying to process the 'Sei-chan' section.

"ouh Shizune, what he said was gross, you agree?"

Nebuya rested his arm on her head and leaned closer. Mibuchi's expression instantly turned into an irritated one and he smacked him on his head with the bottle.

"don't do such things to a lady!"

"eh? She qualifies as one?" The tanned male rubbed his head with one hand and asked, still resting his arm on the girl's head.

His question made Shizune twitch and glare at him. "Nebuya-senpai, if you don't want to die, please don't say such words."

The deadly aura she emitted made Nebuya immediately back up. "wooh. Scary"

"anyway, did you need something, Shizu-chan?"

"ah, yes."

Remembering what she came for, Shizune handed a piece of paper each to the two which they read thoroughly. It was a list for things to bring to their summer camp which was to be held in 2 weeks time in Tokyo. Some of the members questioned why the hell they were going to have a summer camp all the way in Tokyo not Kyoto and the one responsible a.k.a Akashi simply answered with "Tokyo is more suitable". Though some still had complaints, they chose not to voice them out.

"oh? We are expected to bring bathing suits. I wonder if we are going to swim there.." Mibuchi wondered out loud.

"who knows. By the way, have you seen Hayama-senpai? I haven't gave the list to him yet.."

"no idea—" Nebuya lazily answered.

"I think he's somewhere in the second year's classrooms…I saw him run over in that direction some time ago.."

"thanks!"

Shizune quickly ran out and went to search for Hayama. Moments later, Akashi entered the gym, bringing along a few pamphlets with him. Mibuchi, the first to notice, lovingly jogged up to him wearing a big smile on his face.

"Sei-chan~ what's with the pamphlets?"

"these are about the haunted spots around the lodge we will be staying at. Someone said that a test of courage is essential in summer so I thought of finding a place to do so."

"heh…to think that Sei-chan favors these kind of activities…" _it's cute.._ Mibuchi added in his mind. If he said it out loud, he might anger the red haired captain because he is quite sensitive to those kind of adjectives.

"by the way, where is Shizune? Since she's from Tokyo, she might know the best place"

"ara? Isn't Sei-chan from Tokyo too?"

"I don't have any interest in these things so I know less about them"

"is that so.."

"so? Where is Shizune?"

"oh, she went to look for Hayama to hand him the list for the camp"

"I see…" _I'll just discuss this matter with her later on…_

* * *

"geez, Hayama-senpai…You could've called for help"

"but— I couldn't reach my phone in this position"

Hayama Kotaro was in the library trying to reach for a book on the top shelf when it suddenly fell, causing him to get crushed by the shelf and unable to move since. Lucky for him, it crossed Shizune's mind that he might be in the library and she found him there. Currently, she's trying to get the shelf off him.

"have you tried something called shouting?"

"it was silent so I thought it'd be a waste of time—"

The girl couldn't help but sigh at his naïve reason. Finally, the shelf was removed from on top of Hayama and he instantly stretched to ease his aching body. He _was _trapped under it for a few hours.

"phew— thanks, Shizu-chan~"

"don't mention it. seriously, don't"

"so, whaddya need me for?"

"here."

"oh, the list, huh? thanks again!"

"no pro-" a red coloured paper caught the brunette's eye and she bended over to pick it up. After reading the contents, her eyes lit up and an excited grin formed on her face. The male beside her blinked and peeked over her shoulder to take a look at the paper. His expression quickly turned the same as Shizune's and they both shouted in unison.

""got to tell this to Akashi!""

* * *

"Sakura High?"

Akashi raised an eyebrow when he finished reading the contents of the red item the excited two brought to him.

"you're suggesting to use this abandoned school as the venue for the test of courage?"

"yea. I heard stories about it from my friends. Though I don't believe these kind of things actually exist, it sounds legit enough!"

"c'mon Akashi— the place sounds spooky enough, right? Let's use this place~ nee, nee~"

Completely ignoring Hayama's pleading, Akashi agreed when Shizune told him that it'll only take a 10 minute walk from the lodge to the school. The senior and junior high-fived in victory and Akashi immediately walked off, not wanting to stay and listen to what they were going to start talking about.

* * *

The day of the summer camp has finally arrived. The basketball club members chatted happily in the shinkansen which was headed to Tokyo. The ones who came to the summer camp were only the students. No teachers or any other adults so they were all acting like elementary students going on a field trip.

"woa~ we're going so fast!"

Hayama exclaimed happily, pressing his face on the window. Mibuchi, who sat facing him, shook his head fondly at the boy who was acting like a child and turned to glare at Nebuya who was snoring beside him.

"god, Hayama. Switch places with me! I can't take another second sitting beside him!"

The long haired male whined when the tanned male's head rested on his shoulder.

"eeh—? But Reo-nee—"

"switch with me, now!"

And that was how Hayama had to bare with all the drool Nebuya was smearing on his shoulder.

"Mibuchi-senpai, why didn't you sit next to Akashi? The seat beside him is empty, y'know…"

Shizune asked, trying her best to hide her overjoyed feelings of sitting beside her senpai.

"hm? Well unlike Sei-chan, someone needs to look after you guys. As much as I want to sit next to Sei-chan, I can't let you three out of my sight, you see?"

"as expected from Reo-nee!"

Hayama thumbs up-ed at Mibuchi's motherly statement while the girl beside him just stared in awe, gaining another shot from cupid's arrow.

'_I don't think I have enough lives to live through all this…'_

* * *

The lodge they were staying at was quite grand but it was in the middle of a forest. A creepy, dark, shadowy forest— but since it was in the evening, the place would look like that —which made the club members wonder why the hell Akashi chose the spot. Well, the place did scream summer and there's a beach which costs only a 15 minute walk from the lodge. Not to mention the so called abandoned haunted school which they were going to venture in.

There were also some other guests so it seems that Akashi wasn't the only one crazy enough to stay here. Once they checked in, the owner said that the main reason people come to their lodge is because of the hot springs they have. That explains everything— was what the club members thought.

After arranging their stuff in their respective rooms, the high school students grouped in the dining hall and helped themselves to the food served by the owner and his wife. Shizune was the last to head down to the hall because she spent time trying to find a way to not let any bugs enter her room from the open window which couldn't be closed.

'_dear god, for the first time, please don't let there be any people dying here..I need my vacation too'_

Just as she was about to enter the dining hall, a woman's bloodcurdling scream filled the whole lodge. Shizune's body twitch and couldn't help but mutter, "of course, that won't be happening, would it…"

The brunette reluctantly ran over to the source, praying that the person who screamed just saw a cockroach. Some other guests, including the uncrowned generals and Akashi followed behind her. In the hallway, she found a foreigner on the floor with her mouth gapped open and looking in fear towards a window.

"_excuse me!_" Shizune asked in English as she's an expert in the language. "_did something happen, ma'am?_"

"_o-o-over there_" the woman stuttered and pointed to the window. "_s-someone without a h-head was walking outside!_"

In that exact moment, the ones who went to check on the scream and heard the woman's trembling statement could feel a chill down their spine and their gaze automatically shifted from the woman to the window which only showed them the shadowy forest, its trees gently swaying in the wind adding an eerie effect to the current situation…

* * *

**so...how'd I do?  
****good? not good?  
****oh, from now on, the writings underlined and italic means they're speaking in English- o^o  
****thanks for reading!**


	6. There's no such things as ghost…?

"oi, is it true someone saw a ghost?"

"yea. The foreign woman there saw it"

"I heard rumors that this place is haunted but…"

The whole lodge was filled with commotion. Everyone was starting to feel unnerved thanks to the headless figure Mary, the foreigner, saw. Everyone except Shizune, Hayama and of course, Akashi. She doesn't and will never believe in superstitions so she thinks all of this is just a prank from someone. Hayama was just delighted that the place was really haunted. Akashi on the other hand, never gets scared.

"ridiculous."

His cold voice silenced the guests gathering in the dining hall and their gaze fixed on the redhead teen leaning on the wall with a bored look on his face.

"creating so much noise over a hallucination, it really is ridiculous."

"what was that!?" Mary slammed her hands on the table and stood up from her seat, glaring daggers at him. "are you implying that I lied!?"

"I'm not. I'm just saying that you imagined the headless 'ghost' you saw."

The foreigner trembled with rage and irritation, and it took all her will power to not grab the vase in front of her and smash it on Akashi's head. _How dare he say that to me!_

"Mary-san, you could speak Japanese?" Shizune questioned, noticing she didn't use English to snap at the male.

"ah yes." She answered. The girl's soft and kind— though it sounded pretentious in the ears of Akashi —voice calmed her down so she managed to smile. "my mother is Japanese so I learnt the language from her.."

The brunette released a thoughtful hum and turned to Akashi, her lips turning into a frown. "can't you act more gentleman-like? That was rude, y'know" _and you're the Akashi family's heir, for god's sake…_

"I don't have the obligation to act like that to someone who created a ruckus over some woman's delusion."

The Rakuzan students who were just quietly listening started to murmur some words after hearing what Akashi said and Mary nearly broke her nails clenching her fists.

"don't tell me you actually believe in these kind of things, Kudo"

The girl huffed and crossed her arms, a smirk forming on her face, " 'course not. Someone must've used some kind of projection to scare people here" she declared with confidence and the guests clapped in awe but only the foreign woman looked unsatisfied.

"that wasn't a projection! I really saw it!"

"Mary-san, I know you think what you saw was real but—"

"shut up! You're saying all those stuff because you haven't seen it for yourself! If you saw it, I'm sure you'll believe me!"

The fuming woman left the hall and slammed a door— which is presumably her room's —real loud which shaken some of the items in the lodge. Shizune sighed guiltily and the other guests returned to their room since they no longer had any business there. (their only motive was to find out what the scream was about)

"I wonder if it was really a projection…"

Mibuchi wondered out loud worriedly. He knew that his Sei-chan and Shizune are not believers of such things but if it _was_ a projection like the female detective said, then from where did it come from? A projector like item wasn't found anywhere and there weren't any sockets around the place to plug in the projector.

"a projection is the only logical explanation I can come up with. Well, there is a possible case of imagination like Akashi said because of the rumors here…"

"rumors?" Nebuya, who was quiet until now, asked.

"yes. Actually 1 year ago, a man beheaded his wife with a butcher knife deep in the forest after learning about her affair. He then committed suicide by hanging himself in one of the rooms here. Since then, people say they have been seeing a headless figure appearing here and there around the lodge. Though it's just rumors~"

The girl ended with a grin totally oblivious to the scared Mibuchi & (surprisingly) Nebuya. Hayama's eyes lit up and he grabbed Shizune's arm before announcing, "we'll be exploring the place for a while so excuse us!" then he proceeds to run off, dragging the brunette with him and leaving Mibuchi & Nebuya blinking in confusion. And Akashi? He disappeared somewhere.

* * *

"Hayama-senpai, slow down! You're going to pull off my arm!"

"ah, sorry~"

"and?" Shizune raised an eyebrow, rubbing her sore arm. "why are we out in the forest in the middle of the night? I thought the so-called haunted place was the lodge…"

"but the crime scene is in the forest, right?" Hayama happily raised a fist into the air and grinned. "So we gotta check out the forest first!"

"but" Shizune started to look around nervously and twirl her finger around the edge of her hair. "it's night time and not to mention it's dark here…"

"Shizu-chan, don't tell me you're afraid?"

"o-of course not! It's just that you can never tell what'll happen in the dark so—"

"don't worry~ I brought a torch light with me~" The boy widened his grin as he raised the said item to the girl. He then took her hand and started to walk- more like run. "now, let's go!"

"ah, wait—"

After a while, the two reached the area which is said to be the crime scene when the man beheaded his wife. There was still some traces of dried blood at the place so there was no mistaking it. Hayama started acting like a child while Shizune just kept silent and made sure that she stayed beside the male at all times. She wouldn't want to get separated from him or anything.

-_crack-_

The senior and junior pair jumped when they heard the sound of a twig snap. Like it was a natural response, Hayama immediately pointed the torch light towards the source of the sound to see…

Akashi Seijuro.

The first to react was Shizune and she threw her shoe at him shouting, "what are you, a stalker!? Don't scare us like that you tomato idiot!"

Hayama tried his best to not burst out laughing at the "tomato" comment. Akashi dodged the shoe easily and it disappeared somewhere in the darkness.

"ah-! My shoe!"

The redhead male sighed. "you sure are an idiot, aren't you Kudo?"

"well sorry for being such an idiot!"

"nee, nee, you two. Rather than fighting, let's go and check that out!"

The senior chirped and pointed towards an old building which had a faded sign in front of it which only the word "Sakura" could be read. The event was meant to be done at the end of the camp as a closing but…

The dark shadow that the trio witnessed passing through a window in the building piped their interest so they proceeded to go in the building which was eerie enough to even scare away a ghost itself.

* * *

"Kudo."

"y-yes?"

"let go of my arm. You're going to break it."

"but I don't want to get separated!"

"…you're scared, aren't you?"

"am not— I just don't want you getting lost or anything…"

The male shook his head and chose to drop the matter as it will be quite a pain to argue with the stubborn manager. He, at one point, thought of mentioning that her ribcage was hurting his arm but ceased the action because he knew that she'd get angry because it was like he was implying on how flat she was which is true.

The girl made sure her iron grip on Akashi's arm didn't loosen the whole time they were walking behind a very excited Hayama. There were times where the items in the classroom would creak or move but the brunette convinced herself that they were only the work of mice. Not anything supernatural that doesn't even exist in this world.

Upon arriving the computer lab, Hayama suddenly decided to enter the place which also happens to be the exact location they saw the dark shadow. Shizune released her hold on Akashi and wandered around the room like how a child would act when he is in whole new surrounding. The captain proceeded to do the same because and only because he want to find out what the shadow was.

"say Akashi…"

He turned to look at the girl who called out to him and waited for her to continue. She leaned closer to him and said in a whisper, "I don't know 'bout you but I think that we're not alone in this place…"

The redhead blinked and whispered back to her without changing his straight posture, "I thought you didn't believe in this kind of things"

"I don't. What I mean is that there's someone else in—"

"Shizu-chan? Akashi? What are you guys talking about secretly over there?"

Hayama's question was answered with a "nothing" and Shizune didn't resume telling her suspicions to Akashi. The boy, of course, gave what she said some thought but his train of thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash from a room somewhere to the right of the computer lab.

"w-what was that?" Hayama asked, stuttering in surprise.

"I'll go check it out. You two stay here"

Just as the detective was about to investigate the source of the crash, Akashi gave a strong yank on her arm which immediately stopped her in her tracks. "you should be the one staying here with Kotaro." He commanded before literally throwing Shizune over to Hayama and walking off.

The brunette blinked a few times, stunned by what he did. "if you think that I'm just going to stay quiet and let you have all the fun, you made a big mistake, tomato idiot…" she muttered and ran after him. Hayama, being the only one left, took the initiative of exploring the rest of the school. Though he was curious about the crashing sound, he'd rather hear about it from the other two after he had done venturing the place.

"wonder if I'll get to see anything~"

* * *

"looks like the shelf fell and hit this flowerpot over here causing it to crash…"

"obviously."

"could you not say that?"

"no. I already told you to stay with Kotaro. Why did you disobey me?"

"because I don't have any obligation to obey a tomato idiot like you"

Akashi gave a short glare at her before walking out the library, followed by the other.

"what now?"

"why are you asking me?"

"well…because it's natural that a girl asks a boy what to do in this kind of situations, right?"

"what kind of nonsense are you talking about..?" He sighed and re-entered the computer lab only to find that Hayama wasn't there anymore. "…did he go venturing by himself…?"

"probably. nee Akashi, let's go back to the lodge…it's quite hard to walk with only one shoe on…"

"oh." He realized. "very well. I will send Kotaro a mail to inform him—"

Akashi paused when he felt a warm hand placed on his shoulder and its fingers slowly strengthening its hold on the shoulder. Shizune was trembling as her cerulean eyes widened and kept their gaze towards the corridor they were in.

"what's wrong, Kudo?"

"A-Akashi…I imagined it, right? It's just my imagination, right?"

"what is?"

The petrified girl pointed towards the end of the corridor, tightening her grip, and said in a wobbly voice which ever so slightly alarmed the redhead, "o-over there…just now…a beheaded woman was standing there!"

* * *

**thanks for reading!  
****and thanks to those who followed & favourited this~ ^^  
btw...Akashi's gonna appear in the next KnB episode! kyaa! can't wait!  
his voice is just so- hnnnghh!  
nee? nee? xD**


	7. The curtain of truth is raised

"o-over there…just now…a headless woman was standing there!"

Akashi's heterochromatic eyes widened as he stared in disbelief at what the girl said. She, who claims to not believe in such supernatural things, is now suddenly saying that she saw a ghost? Ridiculous! But, the fear reflected in her eyes as she looked at him made him think that she wasn't lying.

_Was she hallucinating? Nah, she doesn't seem to be the type that does._

_Maybe she mistook something for the beheaded woman. But, she's a detective. Detectives are suppose to have the skill to pinpoint something without mistaking it for something else, right?_

A lot of thoughts flowed through the male's head but he shrugged them off when he figured that in this situation, just thinking will get him nowhere. He gave a quick scan at the dark corridor and turned back to the frightened girl who didn't let go of her strong grip on his shoulder.

"there's nothing there."

"but…"

The brunette gave another look at the corridor and slowly shook her head mumbling a "never mind". Supernatural things do not exist. It was all just her imagination. The darkness of the area might have pressed some buttons in her head which let her see things that weren't there. Even so, she didn't plan on letting go of her companion because she felt safe with— _wait. Safe? _

Shizune felt dumbfounded at her own thoughts. Why would she feel safe around someone she clearly doesn't have any understanding of— excluding some things —and someone who emits an intimidating aura like him? Come to think of it, why did she cling onto Akashi's arm rather than Hayama who she obviously preferred more than the redhead. It doesn't make any sense at all.

"it looks like Kotaro is already back at the lodge" Akashi said, returning his phone into his pocket. "I received a mail from Reo"

The girl took a moment to register what he said before replying, "then we should head back as well"

He nodded and the two made their way down the stairs— the opposite side of the place where the figure was sighted due to Shizune's request —and reached the main entrance in a shorter time then when they were entering.

"that's weird..Didn't we leave the door open?"

"Kotaro must've closed it. Based on the mail he sent me, he assumed we already returned to the lodge"

"if that is so, senpai is really an idiot…"

"like you."

"tsk."

They tried to open it but no matter how much they pushed, it wouldn't open. Upon a closer inspection, they realized that the door was blocked from the outside by a few old desks which seemed to come from the storeroom they went past before entering. The duo released an irritated sigh at the same time and exchanged looks of agreement before ramming their bodies on the door trying to somehow cause the desks to budge so they can exit.

Unfortunately for them, their actions failed which forced them to find another exit they can use. The windows were an option but the ones on the first floor had planks nailed on them and there were no tools to use to break it. The second floor was in the same condition. The third and forth floor was available but it was too high to jump from and they, or rather Akashi, couldn't risk getting hurt.

To make matters worse, the emergency doors were blocked by ruble so there was no way out at all. The pair wandered around the building in hope to find other possible exits. Silence surround the place, excluding the footsteps from the two. It was very dark and hard to see even with the use of the torchlight Akashi possessed.

Of course, they did try to call Mibuchi to come and help them but lady luck chose to give them additional torture by cutting the signal even though it was perfectly fine a few moments ago. Guess that's what you get for being in the forest. Shizune walked cautiously behind Akashi, holding his sleeve in order not to get separated from him while searching.

Clinging onto him would work but they would be at a disadvantage if they were attacked them. Yes, like what Shizune mentioned before, something else was in the building with them. Something. Or someone.

When they turned at a corner towards the corridor, the girl's eyes unconsciously glanced over to a greenish light which dimly shone beside her. In that instant, a short but ear piercing scream escaped her lips. Akashi's head quickly spun back in response and his eyes widened at the sight.

It was a face. A clown face. An evil clown face which looked like it has just escaped from the depths of hell with its bloody red eyes and sinister smile revealing its sharp teeth which shone with a greenish colour.

"..it's a mask.."

The duo muttered upon realization. If he had a personality like Kise Ryouta, Akashi was sure to laugh his heart out and start teasing Shizune about how scared she was of the clown mask but, he doesn't have that kind of personality so, no laughing. Or teasing. Besides, pointing out her beet red face of embarrassment was enough to give the same effect of satisfaction.

"not a word about this to anyone, understand tomato?"

"I wonder who is the real tomato here…"

Shizune 'hmph!'-ed and stomped off to continue searching for an exit, totally ignoring the other creepy masks which suddenly is on the walls of the corridor. Unlike her, Akashi took a moment to 'admire' the masks before catching up to her.

**-Akashi's POV-**

The crickets in the forest sang a chorus and the moon shone dimly creating a very calming situation even though we were in a place which is practically a haunted house. The surrounding air was cool and still so I had no complaints during our time trapped in here.

We decided to take a break in one of the classrooms because no matter where we checked, there were no possible exits. Rather than walking around and wasting our precious energy, staying still somewhere would benefit us more.

Leaning against a wall, I watched Kudo try to figure out the truth behind the strange incidents that had occurred. Such a simple thing, why can't she figure it out? And she calls herself a detective. How idiotic. Well, I can't blame her…Fear makes the mind to cease straight thinking.

"I suppose the one to put an end to this nonsensical play, would be me.."

**-normal POV-**

Shizune blinked a few times before reacting. "Akashi, what are you— don't tell me you already—"

"you could say so." He gave a slight shrug then shoved his hands into his pockets.

"well?" The girl excitedly brought herself closer to him. "who did it? what's the trick? Why'd he do it?"

Though unsatisfied by the fact that she couldn't solve it herself, she was eager to know. It's the first time the role of detective and audience got swapped in Shizune's case. She is usually the one who will announce her deduction with confidence to the others, not the one who is impatiently waiting to know the truth behind a case. It is a first and it will be the last. With that in mind, she let curiousity take over.

Akashi uneasily backed up from the her. "calm down. I'll explain it to you one by one."

"first, our 'culprit' pushed the shelf to make us move to the library so that he could start his little haunted house. If we weren't in the corridor, his plan to scare us wouldn't work because it would only succeed at the end of the dark corridor next to the stairs. After making sure the flowerpot crashed, he hid himself by the stairs next to a doll or something similar which he set up to make one of us witness the 'beheaded figure'. Too bad for him, we didn't see it when we went to the library and Kotaro also didn't see it when he went venturing."

"I see..! when the one that sees the doll looks away due to the shock or fear, he would use a black board or cloth to cover it up. It'll look like the figure disappeared, right?"

"exactly. Then, he waited for us to leave this corridor before running downstairs and blocking the main entrance. He then reentered through another exit we're not aware of and hung those masks. Isn't that right, Miss Mary?"

Shizune quickly spun her head at the direction where Akashi was looking there Mary was, standing in front of the entrance with a smile on her face.

"good work, boy. When did you figure out it was me?"

'_She's not denying it? huh. well that's something new for me…' _Shizune cocked her head to the side and listened to their 'conversation'.

"when I thought of who would do such a thing, you're the only one that crossed my mind."

The woman crossed her arms but kept her smile. "is that so.."

"may I ask why you did that?"

"isn't it obvious? I really saw the thing with my own eyes but—" She slammed her fist against the wall causing the two high school students to visibly flinch at her sudden actions. "you two just had to conclude that I was just imagining things, didn't you!?"

"Mary-san, we didn't mean to-"

"enough! Seeing your frightened faces was enough. Don't make me think otherwise. I'm returning to the lodge. You kids….better come with me"

With the help— you could say —of Mary, they safely made it out of the abandoned school and returned to the lodge to be greeted by a very, very, very, very worried Mibuchi.

"Sei-chan! Shizu-chan! Are you two alright? I wanted to go and search for you but there was a risk I might get lost myself…so, are you two—"

""obviously, yes.""

The weary and emotionless tone they used clearly explained their current condition. It was 2 in the morning when they got back and the duo wanted to curl up into their futon as soon as possible. Yes, even Akashi.

"by the way, Mary-san" Mibuchi turned to the said person who was about to return to her own room. "about the headless ghost you saw, apparently some boys were responsible for it"

"..pardon?"

"some boys heard about the rumors and made a small plan to scare the guests in this lodge but you saw it before the whole thing even started"

The tall male ended with a small giggle. After a moment of processing the info, Mary's face turned red with embarrassment and she didn't stop apologizing to the duo. Akashi just gave a "hm" and went to his room to get some rest. The brunette, on the other hand, sort of pleaded the foreigner to stop apologizing before she retired to her room, thinking how pathetic she was during the whole haunted house event. She couldn't even solve that simple level of a mystery. _'I'm sure Holmes would've solved the whole thing in just a few minutes..some detective I am..'_

* * *

The summer camp continued as normal without anyone knowing the truth about the headless 'ghost's' identity. Of course the test of courage was done but not in the abandoned school. They just did it in the forest due to a certain someone's pleas. Now, they're in the Shinkansen on their way back to Kyoto. Unlike their journey to Tokyo, their seat arrangements had to be changed because of the large amount of souvenirs they bought in town were forced to be place on some of the seats.

Not by her choice, Shizune sat beside Akashi in the back most seat with the souvenirs facing them. The trip back felt longer so the girl occasionally let out soft sighs of boredom as she stared out the window. As she was about to try to take a nap until they reached their destination, something soft brushed against her cheek and some weight was felt on her shoulder.

She shifted her gaze from the window and to the sleeping Akashi Seijuro beside her. His face looked so tranquil and his lips slightly parted. His bangs created a shadow over his eyes and his chest moved evenly with his breath. The Akashi now wasn't the cold captain everyone knows but more like an innocent child.

The girl couldn't hold back a fond smile at the sight of the sleeping emperor. She found it so mesmerizing, you could say, that she didn't notice a small blush creeping onto her face.

_Again..that feeling.._

_The feeling of safety. The feeling of admire. The feeling of love._

…_.love?_

Shizune blinked and looked at her faint reflection on the window, her eyes wide in surprise at what she had mentioned in her head. Did she really think that? What the hell was the trigger to such— according to her —weird thoughts?

_The world is really trying to torture me…_

* * *

**Happy New Year!  
Hope 2014 will be a nice year for you guys~ ^^  
and Akashi will be appearing on the 4th...*famous Allen Walker laugh*  
I also can't wait for Detective Conan's 18th Movie AND The Lupin VS Conan movie-  
Kyaaa~ **


	8. Realizing, Denying, Admitting

_No. No. nonononono. This can't be happening. No. just, no. NO._

Currently, our young detective while laying down on her stomach on the bed in the Akashi Manor, is having a little battle with herself inside her room,. After that little incident in the shinkansen, Shizune has been feeling this weird feeling (which she can't really explain since it's the first time feeling it) whenever she gets near Akashi. She also keeps getting the urge to see his face or hear his voice even though they practically live under the same roof.

According to what her friends told her, she might have fallen for the chibi captain. She strongly, absolutely, obviously, extremely denies it even though all the signs are there. Why, you ask? Because she's the stubborn type who wont admit liking someone she considers not her type. Mibuchi is an exception though. Although staying with the Akashis had made her relationship with the redhead become rather tight, he still distanced himself from her. Not letting her in the invisible wall he built. She was quite disappointed by that but that exact same thing made her think that actually falling for him was out of the question. It is logically impossible. In her logic, that is.

_Okay, world. What kind of game are you playing with me now? First, you make me like Ren. Well, that ended quickly maybe because I like him in a brotherly way…? Then, you make me like my senior who isn't even straight which kinda hurts. Now you're making me fall for someone who is like a stranger to me? Genius work. I would like to give a knuckle sandwich to the guy who is in charge of my love life.._

Before she could continue ranting in her head, a knock was heard on her door and guess who let himself in. yes, the antagonist Akashi Seijuro himself. In a dashing black suit as an addition too. The redhead clicked his tongue when he saw the sour look on the brunette's face then smiled amusingly when the faint blush on her face was noticed.

"what do you want, Akashi?"

"father wants us to come to a dinner with his acquaintances so I came to help you get dressed."

Those words hit the female like a metal pipe which fell from the heavens. A guy, not to mention someone who she possibly developed feelings to, helping her get dressed? And by his own free will? _What the hell is going on in this bastard's head!?_

"I'm joking."

"it doesn't sound like one when you say it…"

"is that so.." He looked at her for a moment before lightly throwing a maroon dress at her. "wear it. your mother sent it from America." Ignoring the groans she let out upon seeing the clothing, Akashi shut the door behind him to let her change and he leaned against the wall beside it to wait for her.

After a few minutes, the door opened and out came Shizune in the one piece she despised so much. It was a simple short sleeved collared dress which reached just above her knees and had a black coloured belt-ish strap on the waist area. Getting no comments on how she looked, the girl frowned and walked to the limo with the redhead. Once they exited the manor, they were greeted by a very chilly autumn wind which made the duo scurry into the warm, heater-equipped limo. The surrounding air felt like winter even though it was only still autumn.

* * *

The very silent car ride almost killed the female so you can guess how glad she was that they were already at the rather fancy restaurant. A waiter guided the pair to a table which was reserved under the name of Akashi. His father and his three guests were already seated and chatting happily with each other. Upon noticing the arrival of the two youngsters, a woman nudged the older Akashi and smiled playfully while asking.

"ara, I thought Shuusaku had only one child. Where did the other come from?"

"oh, she's a friend's child who is staying over for some time and please don't call me by my name, Asegawa…"

"is it wrong for me to call my life long friend by his name?"

The woman called Asegawa giggled before setting her gaze on Akashi & Shizune who took their seats beside each other wearing very fake smiles. They turned faker the minute Shuusaku explained the reason of inviting the kids which was because he wanted to introduce his son to the people who would be his partners in work when he takes over the company. Shizune was just a might-as-well-invite-her-since-there's-a-chance-she'll-work-with-them-too. Though he didn't say it out loud, she knew the man was thinking it.

"Seijuro, Shizune, this is Hatamoto Gin. Head of the Hatamoto Group. Beside him is Kiyama Naoki. 5th heir of the Kiyama Medical Company. Finally, this fine lady next to me is Asegawa Takako from the Asegawa Plutocrat and a good friend of mine."

"my, I'm flattered~"

"oi, oi, Akashi-san. Why give a special introduction to only Asegawa-san? Aren't we good enough?"

Kiyama jokingly asked and the adults laughed heartily leaving the highschoolers feeling very out of place. They kept on talking about their business and stuff unrelated to the silent duo until Asegawa's decided to converse with them.

"by the way, I heard that Seijuro-kun is a basketball player in school"

"yes I am."

"is your school participating in the Winter….Cup, was it?"

"yes we are."

"my, that's great! I wish you luck!"

_Luck is not needed because winning is a given for me… _"thank you, Asegawa-san"

"what about you, Shizune-chan?"

"eh?"

"which club are you in?"

"basketball. as the manager"

"so it's the same as Seijuro-kun, huh? that means you can cheer for him in a close range during the match, right?~"

_The hell would I do that… _"I guess so.."

* * *

After eating, Shuusaku said that he and the other three were going to do some more talking about work so the kids can either stay to listen or head home first. Of course, they chose the latter. Not wanting to wait for the limo to arrive, the two put on their coats and walked on the streets side by side without any sound. Akashi pulled up his scarf to cover the bottom half of his face as another stream of cold air blew past them. His eyes unconsciously turned to the female beside him who put on an emotionless expression but it was clear that she was affected by the cold weather.

The coat she was wearing didn't do a good job in keeping her warm and she didn't bring her scarf with her. Nevertheless, the words "I'm cold" didn't come out from her. It could be because her pride was high and she didn't want to show weakness to someone who isn't close to her. The boy, who however noticed how she was feeling and being the gentleman he was, took off his scarf and wrapped it around her neck the moment she stopped to see what he was doing.

"you're going to catch a cold. I'll lend it to you for a while."

Gesturing for her who was still clueless of why he did that to follow him, the two continued their silent little journey. Half way through, the brunette decided to start a conversation in hope to know him better. Honestly, she had forgotten all about her real motive to apply as the manager for the basketball club. The members felt like family to her so they had made her completely forget about it. The reason she felt like asking was because she thought it might benefit her in the future and because she was sick of the silence.

"Akashi." She begun. "what was your middle school life like?"

"why the sudden curiousity?"

"nothing really. So, what was it like?"

"I had a pleasant time in school and I was blessed with good friends."

"I heard that a Generation of Miracles were from your school. What were they like?"

"They were an interesting confederation, although their abilities were far too advanced and it was quite difficult to deal with them, they each have their own charm."

"I guess you're gonna face them in the Winter Cup.."

"exactly."

"I see…sounds interesting" she chuckled.

"…what about your school life before coming to Rakuzan?"

"you wanna know?"

"might as well ask." He answered in a quite nonchalant voice.

"oh. Well, it was normal excluding the crazy amount of cases I had to deal with."

"you might be cursed or you're the reaper himself."

"oi."

"I'm joking."

"it doesn't sound like one when you say it…"

"that's the second time you said that today."

"why are you counting?..."

"we have reached."

"he ignored me?..."

The maids greeted the pair with a warm cup of tea which they declined then retreated to their rooms. After changing into a pair of shorts and a T-Shirt, Shizune slumped on her chair and started surfing random websites on her laptop. If she was going to praise the Akashis for one thing, it would be their internet connection. It was really speedy and there was no lagging making the girl stare in awe for a few moments before she could surf the net properly.

"nn? This is…"

She clicked open an article from today's news which she didn't get to read and read it in a very monotone voice.

"Seirin High Basketball Club managed to book a spot in the Winter Cup… Tōou Academy, Kaijō High, Rakuzan High, Yōsen High, Shūtoku High, Seirin High. The schools possessing the Generation of Miracles will now be facing against each other…Just one month left and the first match of the Winter Cup— Tōou against Seirin —will take place in Tokyo. Which team would Lady Luck smile on?..."

She rested her head on her fist as she searched for more information about Seirin High Basketball Team and Tōou Academy Basketball Team. There were a lot of articles about the two teams and their matches in the past. There was even a special article about the players from Seirin and she was fascinated by Seirin's No. 11 player.

Name, Kuroko Tetsuya.

He was dubbed as the "Phantom Sixth Man" and was a member of the GoM even though his presence is very low and his only skill was making passes. Sure the No. 10 player called Kagami Taiga is much more superb than the sixth man but he seemed like the normal protagonist stereotype so she didn't gain much interest to him. As she continued reading about Kuroko, she failed to notice a person approaching her from behind.

"oh? You're doing research on Tetsuya?"

A loud, very unfeminine shriek could be heard from the mansion. Shizune put a hand over her chest and took a deep breath before standing up and scowling at the cause of her shock.

"Akashi! Don't do that! what would you do if I actually died from a heart attack?"

"celebrate, really. Still, I didn't take you for a person that gets scared easily."

"anyone would scream if they were in the same situation! And what do you mean by celebrate?..."

"why are you looking at information about Tetsuya?"

"ignored again…." The girl hung her head in defeat. "I was just surfing through the internet and I found an article about a school called Seirin. I did some searching about it and came across this Kuroko guy."

"I see.."

"that aside, what are you doing here?"

"my scarf."

"ah" she realized. "sorry. Here ya go."

"no need to apologize." He said, accepting the scarf and turning his back on her to leave. "ah" Akashi stopped and slightly rotated his body to face her. "you better sleep early. It is unhealthy for a girl to stay up until late in the night. Also, lock the door. You wouldn't want someone either than me to come into your room uninvited, no?"

"Sheesh, I will." She lazily replied and gestured for him to leave. "Now shoo."

The girl was about to turn and continue on her internet surfing when a warm hand gently patting her head was felt. As the hand distanced itself, the boy said in a soft whisper as he headed towards the door.

"good night."

The brunette stared blankly at the shut door before putting her own hand on where his was a few moments ago. Her cheeks slowly turned pink and her heart started pounding.

_Crap…_

She quickly shut down her laptop and locked the door before turning off the lights.

_Crap, crap, crap! I…!_

She jumped under the covers and buried her face in the pillow, trying to ignore the pounding noises and her slightly warm self.

_I… have fallen for Akashi…_

Once those words passed in her mind, the pounding noises stopped and her body temperature turned normal. She turned around and stared at the ceiling in disbelief.

_What was the trigger? His looks? The bizarre stuff he can do? His sleeping face in the shinkansen? Tsk. Such a pain…or maybe it was because…_

_Because…_

_He…_

* * *

Akashi returned to his room and locked the door before doing the usual procedure when going to bed. After laying down on the soft object, he raised and stared at his own hand which he could faintly see in the darkness of the room.

_Why did I do that..?_

_Is it because…_

_She…_

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

""Seemed similar to me…?""

* * *

**ossu!  
well, I owe an apology to Kagami and his fans..  
real sorry!  
hope you liked it though...^^"**


	9. Winter Cup, Training from hell

"S-Sei-chan…no more…please…"

"we can't take it anymore, Akashi—"

"yea. Even someone like us needs to-"

"no complaining. Continue."

"S-Shizu-chan…do something…"

"even I can't do anything about this, senpai…"

"I blame you, freshman…"

"sorry, senpai…"

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

Let's head back to a few hours before this. The Rakuzan Basketball club were doing their trainings like normal when a some freshmen decided that they were tired of training and went out to…slack. Even though they wanted to skip practice, they didn't have the guts to exit the gym area so the group stayed in the locker room reading manga, unnoticed by the other members.

Akashi, unlike usual, wasn't there to observe their training because of the student council meeting so it was a lucky thing for the freshmen. Matsubara, the leader of the slacking kids, snickered to himself at the success of escaping training. He heard from the seniors that no one has been able to do what they had accomplished so he was feeling very proud. The small group stayed in the locker room for a very long time until Mibuchi entered the place and found him.

"First-years, what are you doing here? you should be training now."

"hm. Akashi isn't here so thought we'd stay here and read manga" Matsubara smugly said.

"y'know…if Sei-chan found out, he'll be mad"

"who cares. Akashi is just another first-year like us. He's also shorter than me so why should I be afraid of—"

"who did you say is short, Matsubara?"

Mibuchi instantly backed up from red oni who was standing in front of the locker room entrance with deadly, dark aura surrounding him. Sure he had a smile on his face but it was that of a demon lord who is ready to devour his prey. He came over after the meeting to the gym and happened to hear what Matsubara said by pure coincidence.

"A-Akashi!?"

"answer the question."

"n-no one, really.."

"oh?" The redhead smirked and turned to leave but not before saying a few words that made the slacking first-years curse their fate. "your training will be tripled." He shut the door behind him, ignoring the shouts of despair let out by the first-years. The captain went to the place the others were 'training' just to find them fooling around and Shizune trying to make them resume to practice.

"senpai, if you don't continue practice, Akashi will— Akashi!?"

Everyone froze on the spot when they heard her shout the mini captain's name.

"…I leave all of you to go to the meeting and I come back to see this…"

"A-Akashi, w-we can explain—"

"there is no need to explain. I perfectly understand."

"r-real—" Nebuya ceased his words when he saw the sickeningly sweet smile on Akashi's face and the aura eerie enough to scare of the devil himself.

* * *

The female manager stayed put on the bench gripping a clipboard, her face in a weird expression feeling utter pity for the boys who were literally dying in front of her. Akashi, of course, kept his promise on tripling the training and his menu— which was already dubbed as training from hell —felt like an endless torture to the members, even the Uncrowned Kings.

"S-Sei-chan…no more…please…"

"we can't take it anymore, Akashi—"

"yea. Even someone like us needs to-"

"no complaining. Continue."

"S-Shizu-chan…do something…"

"even I can't do anything about this, senpai…"

"I blame you, freshman…"

"sorry, senpai…"

After the hellish practice, the basketball club members dragged themselves home and the situation repeated— though by some pleads Akashi reduce the training menu slightly—until the day before the Winter Cup was held had came. Rakuzan High Basketball Club headed over to Tokyo for the second time of the year and went to the dormitory they were going to stay until the tournament ends.

"Mayuzumi-senpai, could you help me with this?"

"..okay."

"the beds are really soft like hell!"

"Eikichi, don't use such words-"

"woa~ look, look, Reo-nee! The stadium's so big!"

Hayama chirped excitingly while pointing at the stadium where the Winter Cup was going to be held. It was in quite close range with the place they're staying so the view was splendid. Mibuchi chuckled fondly and agreed with what his companion said.

"but still, to get such a pleasant place to stay while in Tokyo, we sure are blessed" The raven haired male hummed happily as he admired the room he's expected to share with Mayuzumi, Akashi, Hayama & Nebuya then turned to the girl who was helping with the unpacking and organizing stuff. Coach's orders. "where is Shizu-chan's room?"

"oh I'm not staying here, senpai"

"eeh? Why not?~"

"I'm gonna stay at my old house in Beika"

"ah, you did come from Tokyo..~"

"yup" _and I don't want to stay another moment with Akashi..I can't think straight with him around…_

"you can't."

The senior-junior pair turned to face Akashi who sat at the edge of the bed and crossed his arms. "you can't go back to your house in Beika" he repeated coldly.

"why not?"

"coach said it would be much more convenient if there are things to discuss with the manager close by."

"..kay then..." she sighed heavily. Her chance to have a peace of mind was gone just like that. Coaches order were absolute. Second to Akashi's though. After everything was sorted out, the students went to their assigned rooms and slept soundly, not worrying about the big day.

* * *

"woa…look at the crowd…" The brunette's mouth gapped open at the thousands of people who came from all around Japan just to see the matched in the Winter Cup. The crowd was bigger than those in soccer matches she always goes to watch.

"the opening ceremony is going to start. Let's hurry"

* * *

"the Winter Cup national high school basketball tournament will now commence."

After the man made the announcement, the schools either started to get ready for their match or train for their upcoming ones. Rakuzan's match was not until a few days later so the members except Akashi & Shizune left with the coach to train.

Tōou Academy VS Seirin High.

The girl couldn't afford to miss a match between the two schools who had gotten their hands on the Generation of Miracles. She got all excited thinking about the match and it's outcome but, at this time she had another quite important matter to think about.

She's lost.

Shizune suddenly and unfortunately lost sight of Akashi when she looked away (sounds familiar?) and during her search for him, she got lost in the enormous stadium. Even though her sense of direction was better than that of Ren's, the place was too big and nothing looks familiar. _Dammit…a girl my age shouldn't be getting lost…now then. Who can I—_

"Damn it! What is that Bakagami doing!? The opening ceremony is already over!"

A short caramel haired girl wearing her school uniform was turning into an oni with fire surrounding her as she scolded someone called "Bakagami". A boy wearing their team's jersey turned to another boy wearing glasses and nervously said to him,

"apparently he forgot about the time difference…he'll be here soon"

The glasses-wearing-male hung his head and muttered annoyingly, "unbelievable…"

_Wonder what happened…wait a sec. isn't that Seirin?_

She watched with interest, forgetting that she's currently lost, as two of the team members started getting nervous and glasses guy hit their head telling them to calm down when he were actually nervous himself. The brunette smiled fondly thinking that the team was more than just a team. They were acting more like family. Although she's well known by people through her detective business, there are very few people she could call friends let alone family so she slightly envied Seirin.

"sorry, but could I step out for a bit?"

A sky blue male who she recognized as Kuroko asked the others who she assumed were his seniors. The only female there walked up to him with a sweet smile and put a paper fan she took from who knows where on her shoulder before answering the male's question with an angry tone in her voice which made him back up.

"I told you not to wander off."

"yes, but…I've been summoned."

"summoned?"

An air-head looking guy with thick eyebrows repeated.

"I'm going to see Akashi-kun."

The male with the glasses gave the same reaction as Shizune— who was silently watching them —when he heard the name. Another guy behind him commented "the Generation of Miracles' captain…" before the caramel haired girl gave him permission to leave in condition of returning before afternoon. She also asked a boy named "Furihata" to follow him. Snapped from her little shock, Shizune rushed off to follow the blue haired male.

* * *

"you've got a babysitter, Tetsu?"

"Mine-chin, you've got Sa-chin."

"Satsuki's got nothing to do with this."

"Midorimacchi, why do you have scissors?"

"it's obviously my lucky item, you idiot."

"it's dangerous, though. I wish you wouldn't walk around with them out like that"

"sorry to keep you waiting."

Green. Yellow. Dark Blue. Sky Blue. Purple.

The detective watched the multi-hair coloured humans from behind a pillar with "the hell" written on her face. She was looking for Akashi but found the Generation of Miracles instead. Sure she was happy to see them with her own eyes but she sensed that somehow the air around them felt very heavy even though they were speaking normally. Furihata noticed it too, it seems, since he was sweating bullets.

"I apologize I've kept you waiting."

She moved her gaze from Furihata to the source of the voice which was Akashi Seijuro who called out to them from on top of the steps they were assembled at. Akashi started to say how glad he was to see them and how he was deeply moved that they were all able to meet like how they are currently. Then, he mentioned that there's someone who doesn't belong there and requested him to leave. Though he would love to return to the calming atmosphere of the Seirin team, the poor boy's body wouldn't move probably because he was too intimidated by the guys present.

Kuroko was about to ask Furihata to leave when a tall guy with two toned red hair and noticeable split eyebrows came up from behind them wearing a confident smirk on his face.

"well, you're no fun. Don't exclude us"

"Kagami!"

"I'm back. We can talk later. First…you're Akashi, huh? Glad to meet you"

Akashi looked down at him in silence before asking if he could borrow "Shintarou's" scissors because his hair was bothering him and he wanted to trim it.

"first…you're Kagami-kun, aren't you?"

Right after he said that, Akashi swung the scissors towards Kagami which he barely dodged resulting a scratch on his cheek. Kuroko shouted his name in worry and Furihata's trembling got worse. Shizune eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she saw the scene unfold. It was the first time she saw the male do such a violent action so the shock was great.

The emperor smirked in total amusement. "my, my. I'm surprised you were able to dodge that. In light of that display of grace, I'll forgive you this time. However there will be no second chance. When I tell you to leave, leave." He started to slowly trim his long bangs while continuing his words in a very cold and intimidating tone of voice. "In this world, winning is everything. Winners are affirmed completely, and losers are denied completely. I've never lost at anything before, and I never will. Because I always win, I am always right. Those who oppose me, even my parents…"

**_"_**I** will kill them."**

* * *

**uwaa...I'm suddenly in love with this chapter-  
maybe because of the oyakoro- xD  
the scene where Kuroko meets the GoM is from the anime + manga-  
the next chapter might have spoilers for those who don't read the manga so...  
I'm gonna be slow on updates coz school has already started and it really exhausts me more than usual..."OTL  
anyway, thanks for reading!**


	10. I am not afraid of you

"_Those who oppose me, even my parents, I will kill them"_

Those words rang in Shizune's head ever since the time the GoM regrouped and Kagami caused Akashi to almost stab him with scissors. As it was the first time he displayed such violence in front of her, she was still quite shaken even though an amount of time has passed since the incident. The girl gripped her hand and continued to watch the intense match between Tōou and Seirin that was commencing from a close range.

Both teams wouldn't back down. At first it looked like Tōou was taking the lead but Seirin managed to turn the tables then soon after, Tōou took the lead again. The pattern continued until the last final seconds on the clock. Everyone started to get anxious as the no. 10 player, Kagami Taiga, ran up to the hoop and jumped to score a dunk. Tōou's ace, Aomine Daiki, went to stop the ball from going in but failed.

The crowd cheered when the ending buzzer sounded and Seirin's victory was confirmed. Seirin shouted happily and did a small celebration on the court. Tōou was silent but it was clear they acknowledged their defeat. Aomine was stunned but after he exchanged some words with Kuroko, he fist bumped the bluenette and a calming aura surrounded the two for a mere second.

The spectators stood from their seats and left the stadium after the players went to their locker rooms. Shizune met up with Akashi soon after the game and did a good job in pretending that she was surprised about what happened to his hair though he did kind of notice the act. The pair started to head back to the dorm when a voice made them stop and turn around.

"Ren?"

"I knew it! It's been a while, Shizune!"

The male grinned happily at the sight of his childhood friend but that happy expression turned into a puzzled and rather protective one when he saw the male beside her.

"who is he?"

"ah, this is Akashi Seijuro. The captain of the basketball team I'm in right now. Akashi, this is Mouri Ren. A friend of mine."

"so it seems."

"nice to meet you, Akashi"

"likewise, Mouri."

A dark aura suddenly surrounded the two boys and competitive sparks went off when they both gave very fake smiles to each other. It was hate at first sight though unnoticed by the oblivious female beside them. The boy turned to his childhood friend, the fake smile still intact on his face.

"but to think that you're interested in basketball, you sure have changed, Shizune."

"y-yea.." _I was interested in something else though…_

"by the way, Ren. Why are you here? I thought you had no interest in these kind of sports"

"Sousuke invited me. His family is a sponsor for the tournament."

"sponsor?"

"oh, I forgot you didn't know" she said, ignoring the faint scowl on Akashi's face at the statement. "Sousuke is the son of the Suzuki Plutocrat's president."

"the Suzukis huh…"

"Shizune, actually I—"

"Kudo. We have to return to the dorm."

"But—"

"now. My words are absolute."

Ren raised an eyebrow at the visible flinch and at the short moment she looked like a cornered criminal when the redhead commanded her. "tsk. fine."

"...Akashi, do you have a moment?"

The male brunette gestured for him to follow and when the two were in quite a distance from the confused female, he ran his fingers through his hair before looking at the other.

"I want you to honestly answer me. What do you think of Shizune?"

"she's a fine girl who can control the team but not perfectly."

"that's all?"

"…I don't understand the meaning of that question." _Similar...to me..._

After a sigh, he raised his head slightly and started to say. "look, I don't know what Shizune thinks of you and even though I find you really irritating to look at but if Shizune wants to stay by your side, I'm fine with it but hear this…" the boy's eyes and his tone of voice instantly turned into a very threatening one. "if you dare to hurt her, I will not hesitate to hunt you down and tear you piece by piece. Got it?"

Unfazed by the threat, Akashi just smirked and returned to Shizune's side, resuming their walk back. After returning the wave his friend gave him with a smile, Ren watched silently as the two disappeared from his sight. He replayed the short display of fear shown by her when she was ordered to return. Never once had he seen her show such expressions. Of course he was worried as how a father would worry for his daughter but a small voice in his head told him that she can take care of herself and he shouldn't pry into her current relationship with the mini captain.

"tsk. How irritating…"

"Ren-chan~"

"Sousuke! how many times do I have to tell you to not put 'chan' when calling my name…"

"can't help it. it suits you~ by the way, was that Shizune I saw just now? Who was that guy with her? Don't tell me he's her boyfriend or something—"

"Sousuke…" he let out a sigh at his best friend's teasing and questions but answered them anyway.

"heeeh…sounds kinda suspicious, don't you think?~" the headband-wearing blonde grinned while putting his hand on his chin to make him look like he's a detective or something while joking. "I conclude that she's smitten with the guy. Yup. That's right!~ And it could be something mutual~ just thinking of makes me want to squeal like a girl~ "

Ren just shook his head before asking, "Sousuke, what do you know about the Akashis?"

"nothing much, really. Except that they sometimes do deals with my old man and that their company has power over most of the companies in Kyoto. Also their son, the 18th heir, is a genius and his academic abilities are on par of an university student. Same goes to his athletic ability. In a way, he's really a super human."

"..I see.."

" "_he's better than me in every aspect…no wonder Shizune's staying close to him…" _is what you're thinking, right Ren-chan?~"

"don't be silly and stop calling me Ren-chan!"

"yes, yes, Ren-chan~"

"Sousuke!"

* * *

"what was that all about?"

The girl asked when they were walking through the hallway in the dorm. Everyone was in the training hall which could only be reached by entering the main entrance and going out the back. The uncomfortable silence gave Shizune enough time to build up her determination to ask Akashi the matter that was bugging her.

"what was what?"

"don't play dumb. Ren was about to tell me something but you interrupted. Not to mention the deadly look he gave you when you two were secretly talking…He never shows that kind of face. Never. What's going on—"

"none of your business."

"it is my business. You guys are my….friends so if there's something going on between you two— I don't care if it's some male only thing or what-so-ever —you gotta tell me" she demanded while standing in front of him, blocking his path.

"move, Kudo."

"not until you tell me everything."

"I said, move."

Even though the glare he gave sent chills down her spine, the brunette remained where she was with her arms crossed as a sign of not backing down. When she heard a sigh escape his lips, she thought that he would start spilling but, it was then she realized it was a grave mistake.

Akashi grabbed her shirt's collar and slammed her onto the wall. The pictures hanged on it rattled at the force he used and she winced as the crimson orbs of his looked directly into her cerulean ones. Her eyes widened at the cold gaze he was giving her and she clenched her fists tightly by reflex.

"I believe I requested you to move. I don't like it when others oppose me, even if they are of the opposite gender."

"I don't have the obligation to listen to your every order. You're just a high school student like me."

She tried to make her voice confident but he was slightly choking her so her voice had a strangled tone in it. His grip on her became stronger and it took every ounce of her strength to keep her brave mask intact. The redhead moved his face closer to hers and started to use a very menacing tone of voice.

"if you value your life, you should learn to obey me."

"I'm not afraid of you and your threats mean nothing to me."

Akashi stared at her coldly and released her which resulted in her dropping to the ground, coughing. Ignoring the glare she was giving him, he walked off to the training hall without uttering a single word. Shizune tried to stand up but somehow her legs gave up on her so she stayed on her bottom, leaning against the wall. Her heart was beating fast and it wouldn't calm down no matter what. She closed her eyes and hugged her knees, keeping silent the whole time.

**.**

**.**

**.**

{{ _"hey, you okay?"_

"…_yea. Just leave me alone…"_

"_are you crying?"_

"_no."_

"_but you are—"_

"_father said boys shouldn't cry so I'm not, okay? Now leave me alone…" }}_

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"—chan. Shizu-chan!"

Her eyes popped open from the gentle shakes Mibuchi did and upon hearing his soothing voice. The puzzled expression on the male and the other two behind him was apparent as he helped her up.

_I must have fallen asleep without knowing…tsk. How humiliating…_

"Shizu-chan, why were you taking a nap in the hallway?"

Mibuchi questioned.

"I uh…" she started racking her mind, thinking of an answer. Well, she couldn't say that she was attacked by Akashi and her body suddenly had no energy to move so she just slept there without knowing. Nope. Not a chance. "I was playing with a cat here and I guess dozed off somehow" she said with a joking tone.

"…I see…well, it's dinner time so let's head to the dinning hall now~"

"ouh! I'm starving! Wonder if they'll have meat…"

"I doubt that, Eikichi~ right, Reo-nee?"

"exactly. We're having udon tonight"

"it's been a while since I ate udon!~"

"oh well. Not as good as meat but still tasty"

Shizune walked silently behind her seniors and spent the whole time thinking for how long she napped. A few hours? Maybe just one…or two…or—

"oh yes, Shizu-chan. Your phone fell out of your pocket just now. Here"

After accepting her phone and thanking Mibuchi, she noticed a light blinking on it which meant that she either got a text message or a voice mail. Missed call was also an option. She flipped open her phone and froze when she saw who the text message was from. After seven steps forward of contemplating, she decided to just open the mail and see what is in it.

[ **From: Akashi  
Subject: -no subject-**

_Tell Reo that I wont be joining you all for dinner. An unexpected errand came up and I have to take care of it as soon as possible. I will be back before 10. And also, I would like to apologize for what I did before. I will come over to your room later on to give a proper apology so don't fall asleep until then._

_ -Akashi _]

Shizune stared blankly at the screen before— unconsciously, as claimed by her —slamming her head onto the wall and quickly looking back at the mail. _I'm not imagining it…_

"S-Shizu-chan..are you okay?"

"eh? Uh, yes senpai!" she laughed nervously. She thanked god that her head was hard and that it didn't bleed from the impact.

"did you receive something not pleasant?"

"n-nothing of a sort. It was Akashi. He said he wont be coming for dinner because something came up"

"oh…well that's a pity but why did Sei-chan contact you? Not to be rude or anything but it would be easier to tell one of the regulars or directly to the coach.."

"I was wondering the same thing" she fibbed. "maybe he thought that since I seem like the one with the most free time, it wont bother me at all or something…"

"hm. makes sense. Anyway, let's hurry~ there might be nothing left if we keep on dilly-dallying here, right?"

"yes" The brunette headed off to the dinning hall with the seniors, putting aside the matter with Akashi.

_Oh yea…who was that boy who appeared in my dream? he kinda looks familiar…_

_very, familiar…_

* * *

**...I'm surprised I actually managed to finish this in a few days...  
oh well.  
did you enjoy it?  
btw, btw- don't you think Ren & Sousuke is somehow like Midorima & Takao? xD  
and about the slight(?) spoiler - the Seirin VS Toou match - part I said in the last chapter, the next chapter might have some spoilers too - Rakuzan VS Shuutoku -  
for those who don't read the manga, I mean.  
anyway, thanks for reading, following, favourite, etc my story! ^^**


	11. Don't you agree?

Shizune laid down patiently on her bed after changing into her night attire, waiting for Akashi who said he will come to her room to give a proper apology which she is, not to sound rude or anything, very suspicious of. What caused him to suddenly do this? She has no idea and she plans to interrogate him about it.

"_if you value your life, you will learn to obey me."_

Then again, no interrogating. She doesn't want to experience another incident like that since she loves her life thank you very much. _8 o'clock…two hours since I got his mail...oh well. _She picked up her favourite Sherlock Holmes novel that she had brought with her and started to re-read it since the male was taking his own sweet time on coming.

* * *

**Knock, knock.**

_nn…who is it…_

**Knock, knock.**

_Let me sleep, dammit…_

**Knock, knock.**

"alright, alright, I'm coming!"

The girl put her book aside and stomped to the door to answer it, scowling after looking at the time. _midnight…who the hell is it?_

"what do you want at this— oh. Akashi…"

"who else do you think it was?"

He asked dryly and let himself in the room. The female shut the door and crossed her arms facing the redhead who was making himself comfortable on the bed, a small container he brought was set beside him.

"so? Whaddya want at this time of night?"

"first, fix your shirt. I can see your assets rather clearly from here."

She blinked and looked at where his gaze was directed and hurriedly fix the buttons that were quite revealing her chest before. She then returned her arms to the position they were before and repeated question.

"I already mentioned why in the mail."

"ah. Oh yea…so..you're gonna get on your knees or something?"

"of course not." He scoffed in a rather cold way and stood up. "I just came to give you this. It will be sufficient as a form of apology, I presume."

_So you're not gonna get on your knees…and here I was expecting it…_"what's this?" She asked, accepting the container he handed over to her.

"find out yourself. My business here is done so if you'll excuse me."

The boy didn't let her say anything else and returned to his & the senior's room. Filled with confusion, the brunette climbed on her bed and opened the container. Her lips formed a small 'o' accompanied by blinking when she saw the contents was a slice of her favourite lemon pie. Then her expression turned into an indescribable face of happiness which she never shows. Ever. Deciding that it wont taste nice if she keeps it for the night and that a midnight snack wont hurt, she washed her hands and took a bite out of the pie.

_Holy- this is better than Ren's lemon pie! Why haven't I found the place that sells this thing with such heavenly taste before?_

…_wait…_

The girl gave a good long stare at the item in her and started examining it. Not the kind they use in shops. Rules out the fact he bought it. He got it from someone? No. The container is too…casual for a gift. So that only leaves one possible conclusion:

_He made it!? Wait, wait, wait. He couldn't have made it. I mean, why? Yea, it's just in my head. Just in my head._

A moment of silence passed and the brunette started to get nervous.

_What if this was really his handmade lemon pie? What if he spent a long time on making the pie? What if he put poison with a delayed effect in it!?_

She knew she was just being paranoid but knowing Akashi, it's possible. Very possible. No, she wasn't afraid of him. Yes, she was afraid of his ability to make something with such succulent taste that can defeat Ren's cooking which she has always found to be the best in the world.

The urge to just crash into the room he's in and start questioning him about the pie was there but since her senpai is also in the room, she ceased doing it. After eating it, she decided to go for a short walk outside to let it digest before returning to her slumber.

* * *

The day for Rakuzan's match has finally arrived. They were against Shuutoku High. Both teams raced through the first three rounds and the quarter-finals quite easily and now face their first real challenge. According to the info Shizune got, Midorima and Akashi share history as vice-captain and captain and played a lot of shogi, but Akashi always won.

This is the first time they have to play each other in basketball and she noticed that Midorima is eager to teach Akashi the true meaning of defeat. As both teams enter the gym, Shūtoku is announced as the Legendary King, while Rakuzan is honored as the Emperor of Creation.

"_burrrrrrrrrp. _U~m. I ate too much.."

"that's gross! And what were you thinking eating that much right before the match?"

"you see, I get my strength from meat"

"anyway, look, look! Look at them! We're screwed! They look super strong! For real!"

"so annoying…"

Shizune watched the three then turned her gaze to Akashi who was going to be a starter since the coach approved of it.

"Shizu-chan, cheer for us okay?~"

Hayama grinned when she gave a nod though it was a very emotionless one. Mibuchi raised an eyebrow at the lack of feeling from the girl. Since morning, there was something off about her. She didn't utter a single word unless a question was directed to her and when she answered, her voice was rather lifeless. Not like the usual proud tone she always used. Before he managed to ask, they were asked to line up to start the match.

"I'm gonna win, Akashi."

"that's impossible, Shintarou. Was there even a single match where you managed to make me surrender?"

"Shogi and Basketball are different."

"It's the same. There was never a single time I said anything wrong. I, who wins everything, is always right."

"then, we will now start the first match of the Winter Cup semi-finals! We will commence the match between Rakuzan High School and Shuutoku High School!"

The tipoff is given and the ball goes to Takao. He faked a drive and leaves the ball in Midorima's hands.

" 'I'm always right?' Don't make me laugh, Akashi. Don't talk as if you know everything, when all you've had was victory!" The green-haired male immediately shoots from the half-court and makes it. He once again declared that he is the one who is going to win and that he will teach Akashi defeat. The captain gave not much reaction to it but instead took a glance at the brunette who was watching the match with a blank expression which was quite similar to Mayuzumi's.

…_I'll ask her later…_

The 1st quarter continued with Midorima shooting threes as usual, though he refrained from shooting mid-court or full-court shots. During Rakuzan's attack, Akashi brings the ball up-court and faces Takao. Takao was trusted with guarding Akashi, though he was expecting to be helpless, he can contain Akashi enough to shut down a drive. Instead, Akashi sends a pass inside to Nebuya, who scored, leaving the first quarter to end with a 16 – 16 tie.

* * *

"There'll be no changes to our original game plan. I'll entrust you with small details of each game play. If there need to be changes, follow Akashi's orders."

"yes sir!"

"here you go, senpai…"

"ah, thanks Shizu-chan~"

"..Shizu-chan, is there something wrong? You look tired.."

"nothing is wrong, senpai…really…" she said, forcing a smile and resumed passing the drinks to the other members which were in the match just now.

"..Kudo—"

"The Break Has Ended. We'll Start The Second Quarter"

"…never mind."

The 2nd quarter started and the Uncrowned Kings started to show their fangs. Shūtoku chose to take the offense and Midorima was suddenly guarded by two players. Takao seemed like he anticipated this and passed to Miyaji instead, who goes up for a one-on-one against Hayama. Miyaji does a crossover between Hayama's legs and passed him quite easily. When Nebuya comes up to guard him, Miyaji passes the ball through to Ōtsubo, who dunks it.

"hey, you better not be sleeping..get your act together" Mibuchi scolded.

"My bad! My bad! My bad!" the blonde said grinning.

"…Kotarou…"

"woah! I'll make up for it! So don't get angry Akashi!"

"then it's fine, but…if you don't get your head in the game, I'm going to…"

Even though his words were heard clearly by those on the court and on the bench, they were muffled in Shizune's ears. Her eyes started to get blurry at the same time and it took all her will power to keep them open. _Tsk. During this important match…_

A loud noise made her turn her concentration back to the game, barely witnessing Hayama dribbling the ball so fast and hard that it seemed to disappear and while Miyaji was still in awe, Hayama speeds up and passed him. Passing Miyaji, Hayama goes for the basket and encountered Kimura underway, though he simply double clutches and lays it in.

During the next Rakuzan attack, Hayama dribbled past Miyaji once more, lured Ōtsubo out and dished it inside for Nebuya, who finishes. Meanwhile, Takao is panicking and the ball gets stolen by Akashi. Both teams kept on attacking and scoring. After a while, the second quarter and the first half ended with another tie of at 39-39 thanks to Midorima.

When they were returning to the locker room, Rakuzan and Seirin passed each other. Akashi said his greetings to "Tetsuya" and the other returned it. It was obvious Seirin was feeling awed by Rakuzan's aura and kept their distance but the player named Kagami Taiga approached Akashi and looked down on him, literally.

"yo. You better not have forgotten about me. You sure pulled some crazy shit on me back then." His glare intensified as he continued. "Kise and…you too. I'll crush all of you."

"of course I remember you, Kagami Taiga. I do acknowledge your ability but…let me give you a warning"

Noticing he wasn't walking with them, the girl turned to see where Akashi had disappeared to when she saw the confrontation. "Akashi?"

"the only ones that are allowed to look at me in the eye as I speak are those that serve me" the redhead started and put his hand on the taller one's shoulder. "no one that opposes me is allowed to look down on me.."

The eyes of Kuroko and Shizune widened when he easily made Kagami drop onto the ground.

"know your place."

"Kagami!/Kagami-kun!"

"you too, Tetsuya. You'd better be prepared if you're planning to fight me. I'm the first one who discovered you power. You'll come to understand what that means."

* * *

"Sei-chan, I know you dislike those who go against you but do refrain yourself from going too far…"

"I know the limit. You don't have to remind me, Reo."

The coach had left to do some business so the team was alone in the locker room with the unusual addition of Shizune. (some of the boys wont let her stay outside alone so they dragged her in) When Mibuchi turned to get his drink from her, he noticed she was spacing out and her head was hung low as she leaned on one of the lockers.

"Shizu-chan? Are you alright? Do you feel sick somewhere?"

"…no..I'm fine, senpai..just a little head…—"

Before she managed to finish her sentence, the brunette's body lost all the energy it had and collapsed on the floor. The members, except Akashi & Mayuzumi who were perfectly calm, rushed to her side and started to panic.

_can't move… It's hard to breath…_

"She's burning up! Someone get the coach!"

_How pitiful…_

"Shizu-chan! Hang in there. Shizu-chan!"

_Don't you agree…_

"Shizu-chan!"

…_Akashi?..._

* * *

**ooooookay...this chapter is a bit- idk.  
I took the lines during the Shuutoku VS Rakuzan match from the manga and some from the wiki- xD  
thanks for reading and hope you liked it!**


	12. The Mask At Last Breaks in The Coldness

_It's warm…_

_I don't want to wake up…_

"_**Shizu-chan…"**_

_Who..?_

"_**Shizu-chan…"**_

_Ah…this voice…_

Her eyelids fluttered open and her cerulean orbs looked around the unfamiliar surrounding then landed on the three worried boys beside the bed she was laying on. She could see their expression turn into relief the moment she woke up and staggered to sit.

"Shizu-chan, how are you feeling?" Mibuchi asked.

"…better than before I guess…"

"geez, you should've told us if you were feeling sick! We could've let you stay in the dorm.." Hayama scolded though it sounded more like whining.

"I wanted to see the match. 'sides, I hate playing the damsel in distress."

Disagreeing sighs came out from the trio's mouth and feeling that she should, the girl apologized for causing them to worry. The next sentence that Nebuya said made her want to check if the current situation was just a dream.

"you should apologize to Akashi too."

"that's right. Sei-chan was really worried. Also the one who brought you to the infirmary inside the stadium before coach arrived"

"is that..so…"

It sounded like a lie but the way they were looking at her suggested that it may be true. She had to hold back a frown at the thought of apologizing to Akashi. Even though she did like him, saying sorry to him was a bit too much for the prideful girl but she did cause him to worry— though she has a hard time believing it —so an apology was inevitable.

"by the way, how did the game go?"

"of course we won~" Hayama grinned and made a V sign with his fingers. "86-70"

"heeh…congrats"

"well with Sei-chan leading us, there is no way we would lose"

"hm..where's Akashi anyway?"

"oh? Going to apologize so soon?"

"that's the main idea" she dryly said, getting off the bed.

"he went out for a walk right after Seirin & Kaijo's match. I assume he's in the nearby park since there's a court there"

"thanks"

Feeling refreshed after a long time passing out, she grabbed her coat and ran out in search for the red haired boy. The park Mibuchi mentioned was in Haido street and usually at this time where the skies have already darkened, it would be quite empty so it would make a perfect place from someone who wanted to have a stroll with no disturbance. The moment she reached her destination, she found the male shooting hoops alone. _Even in this cold weather…_

"Akashi—!"

He stopped when he saw the female jogging towards him and for a moment, Shizune swore she saw a flash of relief on his face. Mixed with irritation though.

"Kudo. I see you're feeling better."

"yea..sorry I made you—"

"I wasn't worried. The others just jumped into their own conclusions."

She twitched the moment he interrupted her and that he had completely denied any sense of worry for her but shrugged it off and sat on a bench place beside the court's fence.

"you're gonna get sick y'know.."

"I'm not as weak as you."

"…whatever you say"

The brunette rested her head between her palms with her elbows on her knees and watched Akashi resume his little practice alone. The scene was beautiful. The sight of the redhead playing with the ball wearing his coat with only the light from the park lamps illuminating the court in the darkness of the winter evening. Her admiring of the other was disrupted by the cold and freezing sensation of something falling from the sky.

_Snow…_

It was a rare occurrence in Tokyo and also in Kyoto so the two teens looked up to appreciate the chance of seeing it. Deciding it was time to stop, Akashi walked over to the bench but instead of sitting right beside his female companion on the object, he sat down on the ground and leaned on the bench with one of his legs outstretched and the other folded up against his chest. Though puzzled by his choice, the girl said nothing and casually handed him a bottle of water she brought which he accepted.

The two silently watched as the snow fell gracefully and disappeared the second it landed on the ground. It was a first for the young detective to actually concentrate so much on the frozen beauty of nature. She noticed how pure it looked like. How breath-taking. And how it perfectly it decorated the view of the male next to her.

The white falling from the sky made the boy's small smile which formed as he observed it look so innocent and gentle in her eyes. Something Akashi Seijuro should not be able to produce in her opinion. Or was it because of her feelings that he seemed so…appealing.

…_eh?_

Shizune blinked and gave a hard stare at the redhead with a bewildered expression on her face. _Am I imagining things?_ Once again, she saw the young boy which she 'dreamt' after her little scuffle with Akashi only this time, his image was over lapped with the redhead beside her. Why it happened? She has no idea. The male noticed her gaze on him and asked what was the matter which she said it was nothing. Not really accepting her answer, he got up and simply told her that it was time they return to the dorm. She readily agreed and the pair started their walk back.

"ah." escaped from the girl's lips once they were halfway to their destination.

"what's the matter?"

"Mibuchi-senpai requested me to get something for him. You head back first. I'll return after I get senpai's stuff"

"..I'll—"

"it's okay. I'll manage. Later!"

She ran off, leaving the other alone. Once she reached the supermarket, she grabbed the medical items she was requested to get and headed towards the counter to pay. The time she had to wait for the queue was rather long. Every minute, a sigh was emitted from the girl. There was only one open counter and the people that were there were buying tons of stuff, even though it's already dark outside. _This is gonna be a drag…_

* * *

Shizune leisurely walked back to the dorm while humming— despite her tone-deaf feature —Break by Two Mix, the stuff she bought (after almost an hour of waiting) held close to her chest. The snow was still falling and she could see her own breath in courtesy of the cold air. The journey back was suppose to be a calming one but the sound of her phone ringing ruined the atmosphere.

_Who is it..?_

She dug around in her pocket and flipped her phone open, revealing the caller's name on the display.

"hello? Something up, mom?" she asked in the most nonchalant tone she had. If it's her mom, it wouldn't be anything important. It'll usually be her asking how she's doing or complaining about something. But, today was different. The alarmed and brittle tone the caller used worried the young detective so much that she felt her heart would stop.

"S-Shizu-chan..I don't know what to do! Y-Yusaku is…Yusaku is…!"

"c-calm down, mom. What happened to dad?"

"It's terrible! They said he might not make it and that he's in a critical condition and I just..I just.."

On the other line, Shizune could hear her mother break down in tears. By her words, she could already guess what happened. Her father either got caught up in a case and was injured by the culprit or he just met with an accident. The girl's grip on her phone tightened and she used the calmest voice she had in order to give an impression to her mother that she wasn't going to go in the same condition like her.

"mom. I'm sure he'll be fine. You know dad. He doesn't go down that easily"

"but..!"

"if his own family doesn't believe he will be fine, who else would? That's why, we- you should stay strong. Okay?"

Silence went for a while before a soft "okay" was heard from the other end. The girl gave a small smile and her mother ended the call after mentioning she will inform her if anything happens. As quickly as it came, the smile disappeared and the brunette could feel her chest tightening. She wasn't that close with her parents but even so, hearing the news was a huge shock to her and if possible, she wanted to fly off to America to stay by her father's side. But no. She has a responsibility on the team here. She can't just abandon them.

Besides, even if she does go to America, she wouldn't know what to do. Faking a calm composure over the phone was easy but if she faces the real thing, she doesn't have the confidence that she could keep her mask on. Slowly, she proceeded towards the dormitory where she was confronted by a rather unhappy Akashi Seijuro, his arms crossed and with his usually cold, intimidating gaze.

"what took you so long?"

"..sorry.."

He, being the observant one, saw the dull light in her cerulean eyes and her pained expression which she could've managed to hide if the opponent wasn't the red haired captain. His ruby and gold orbs softened and he gently asked the reason which she answered with her usual "nothing" and rushed up to her room, ignoring the male's command to stay put.

All she wanted was to curl up in the futon and forget about her mother's call. Forget about her father's condition. Forget about everything. She hated that feeling. The feeling of caring for someone. Honestly she hated it. But as her years as a detective increased, the feeling increased with it and discarding it was impossible. She knew that but deep down inside, there are times she just wanted to throw it away. She wasn't used to dealing with much pain. Never has she felt like this. The more she thought about it, the more hurt her chest felt.

She threw her coat and scarf onto the tatami floor and went under the warm futon, not bothering to change or even lock the door. The girl hoped that by just being quiet and shutting her eyes, she might fall asleep unconsciously and forget most of the things that happened when she wakes up.

"Kudo." Akashi's emotionless voice sounded as the room's door slid open with its usual "gata-gata" sound and closed with the same noise. "did something happen?"

"...why do you want to know?" her voice sounding cold but slightly breaking.

"just answer the question."

"leave. I don't want to talk."

"answer the question and I'll leave."

"don't you understand the word leave!?" The brunette roughly pushed away the covers and grabbed the redhead by his collar the second she got up from the futon. His conceited attitude has always annoyed her but this time, it irritated her more than ever. She was not sure why but she was. The dorm's walls were quite thick so there was no fear of the others hearing her shout at him. They were in a deep slumber anyways. "I don't wanna see your face right now so get the hell out of here!"

Unfazed by her raised voice, the male just closed his eyes and calmly— if not, in a more soft tone—asked once more, "did something happen, Kudo?"

"nothing. Nothing at all! Nothing except that my dad is in a hospital waiting for the time of his death to come!"

_Ah..that was the problem.._Akashi thought. No wonder she looked torn when she returned. According to the stories he heard from his father, the girl was more close to her father rather than her mother because of the similar love in mysteries so it must have been a strong blow. Even so, not even a single tear fell from her eyes. The male acknowledge her strong façade but that didn't mean it should continue.

"…it's enough, don't you think?"

"hah!?"

The redhead opened his eyes and gently brought the female's head to his broad chest in which her cheeks turned slightly pink.

"Aka..shi..?"

"you can cry if you want. No one except me will see your tears. There is no need to hold them back…just let it all go…"

Her eyes widened and then one by one, tears rolled down her cheeks and that was the end. She buried her face in his chest and cried her heart out. After years, this was the first time she actually let her tears flow out. Before, she decided that crying will only make others think she is weak and unsuited to become a detective so for that sole purpose, she sealed the emotion of grief and kept it that way.

That night, where the snow gracefully fell, the young detective's mask of pride and confidence was finally broken. The boy who was responsible softly caressed her hair, sometimes mumbling some words of comfort for her. He kept her company the whole night, holding her small and fragile figure in his arms.

Yes…they were similar. She couldn't reveal her true feelings. He still can't do the same. Both were lonely yet both were not.

Seeing her in front of him in her current state, he couldn't help but think that would he, one day, break down like her?

Like he once did 10 years ago?...

* * *

**I feel so guilty...  
****What have I done...  
****Sorry Yusaku! ;A;  
oh and, thanks for reading- :')**


	13. Is It Goodbye?

"Sei-chan, have you seen Shizu-chan?"

Mibuchi approached Akashi early in the morning with a worried face. The redhead titled his head to the side slightly and simply said no.

"that's weird..I checked the whole dorm and I couldn't find her.."

"I'm sure she just went outside for a walk. Do you need her for something?"

"well I need to confirm some things with her but…" the tall male shrugged and smiled sweetly at the shorter one. "I'll just do it later~"

"I see..tell everyone that practice will start at 9."

"sure thing~"

The raven haired mail went to the dining hall with the other tagging along behind him. Just as they were about to enter, something sloppy and wet landed on Akashi's face. Horrified gasps could be heard from every single soul available. Once the item— pudding —slid down from his face, the redhead gave a sickeningly sweet smile to the member that was fighting over the pudding with Nebuya and resulted in it flying to Akashi's face.

"Kotaro. Since I see you haven't had the chance to take a bite out of your food, run 10 laps around town."

"b-but Akashi—"

"now."

Reluctantly, Hayama went outside and did as told. Mibuchi handed his handkerchief to the captain which he used to wide his face. After that, breakfast continued in utter silence. Even Nebuya kept his mouth shut. Since there were only 3 days left before the match against Seirin, Akashi became kinda tensed— or maybe excited would be much more correct —and this really scared the members, excluding the Uncrowned Generals.

An hour after breakfast, Hayama finally returned from his long run and instantly collapsed at the main entrance. Akashi gave him permission to rest for a few minutes while the other Rakuzan members gathered in the training hall and divided themselves into 2 groups. One group was going to run a few laps around the field available while the other group was going to practice on their shoots. Nebuya, the leader for the first group enthusiastically went outside and ran the laps with the others behind him.

Mibuchi, on the other hand, was in charge for the second group but rather than the training, he was much more worried about the female manager who was still absent. He excused himself for a while and dialed her number but ended up in voice-mail. Every time he tried again, it was the same result. _Oh dear..I hope nothing bad happened to her…_

"Reo."

"Sei-chan!" The raven haired male turned to face the red haired boy who approached him from behind.

"I didn't think you would actually slack…"

"I'm not..It's just that Shizu-chan has not returned and she's not answering her phone.."

"She's fine." He coolly said without hesitation.

"but…"

"Don't worry. Now, return to practice"

"if you say so.."

The tall boy returned to his group, leaving the redhead to his normal observing business.

_But still. _he thought. _It is rather abnormal for her to go somewhere without notifying any of us…don't tell me…_ Akashi shook his head slowly at the horrible thought that went through his mind.

* * *

"H-Hayama-senpai..don't waver!"

"Nebuya-senpai! Hang in there!"

"R-Reo-nee…what's the next one?"

"it's…." Mibuchi gulped. "left leg, blue!"

"gaaaah! It's too far!" Hayama whined. He was already in a twisted position and it was nearly impossible for his left leg to reach the closest blue spot way over the edge.

"Hayama-senpai, don't give up! We're betting drinks on this!"

A few minutes before, Akashi suddenly said he had some important business to do so he granted the team a period to take a break until he comes back. The team had been practicing ever since they came to Tokyo so a little resting wont hurt. So, they chose to play twister. Well, actually Nebuya and Hayama were the only two who were playing and the others were betting on who would win. The half that lost would have to treat the other half to drinks sold in a shop only in Tokyo which they were dying to taste.

"almost…there…got it!" The blonde male shouted happily once his foot barely managed to touch the spot.

"okay, Eikichi. Right hand, yellow. And please lose" The raven haired smiled. He was betting on Hayama because, quote, he would never bet on a gorilla.

"tch. A bit more— agh!" and that was it. Nebuya failed to reach the yellow spot and he landed hard on his belly.

Happy cheers could be heard and the opposite could be heard too.

"Alright!" Hayama jumped up and down happily. "We get free drinks tonight!"

"ye—" Mibuchi's words were cut off by his phone's ringtone and he cheerfully answered. "hello?"

[ "Shizune is in America." ]

"eh?" he blinked. "what are you- how do you know? And why?"

[ "did some investigating here and there. The reason is unknown. I don't think she'll be back in time for the match." ]

"is that so…where are you now, Sei-chan?"

The guys present instantly froze at the mention of Akashi's name. He's on the phone? Oh shit. Nobody say anything bad! Or just don't say anything! —was the mutual agreement from the guys in just one exchange of looks.

* * *

"I'm on my way back now. Tell everyone to head to bed now. We'll start early tomorrow."

[ "understood. Walk back safely~" ]

_Click._

Akashi ended the call and re-read a text message which came before his call to Mibuchi.

[ **From: Kudo Shizune  
Subject: sorry.**

_Before you start scolding me about suddenly disappearing, I'll tell you that I have a good and perfect reason for it. Dad's condition isn't getting better and mom is barely keeping it together so with the help of my mom's connections, I made it all the way to America. I don't think I'll make it to the match so…I wish you guys luck and sorry…_

_ -Shizune _]

The male flipped his phone close and returned it to his pocket. _It looks like my bad premonition was right. Nothing to be surprised about but…_

"you're- Akashi.."

In front of him stood Mouri Ren and his friend, Suzuki Sousuke. In their hands were a few books about places. Ren clicked his tongue at the sight of the redhead male and let out an irritated sigh while Sousuke was wearing a rather sly grin.

"heeh…so this is how that Akashi guy looks like. Short for a basketball player~"

Akashi's eye twitched and he glared at the headband-wearing male. Even though they were about the same height, the redhead somehow felt shorter than the two.

"tsk. Out of all places, we had to meet here.."

"that's my line, Mouri."

"now, now, Ren-chan." Sousuke started to say, obviously enjoying the way his best friend is acting around the other male. "Don't get mad. I know your jealous about—"

"who's jealous!?"

"you are~"

"Sousuke! Urgh, never mind that…Akashi, where's your school's dorm? I need to talk to Shizune."

"Kudo is currently unavailable."

"don't give me that kind of crap."

"I am not. She's in America now."

"wha-"

"it's quite pitiful." Akashi suddenly said. "I, who is just her normal classmate, knows more about her whereabouts more than her own childhood friend. Ironic, isn't it?"

"bastard..are you picking a fight with me!?" Ren didn't understand. Why is he getting so riled up with this arrogant guy? He usually succeeds at keeping his calm but with him, he can't. Another was why didn't he know about her going to the States? Why didn't she tell him? This…wasn't the first time…

"I am not. I'm just stating the facts."

"you-!"

"Ren." the blonde held his friend back from using his karate against the other. He wouldn't want a commotion to start.

"tsk. I know…" The male brunette exhaled and calmed himself down. Sousuke removing the '-chan' meant that he was being serious so reluctantly, he has to give up on beating his hated person up. "oi, Akashi. If she returns, tell her to give me a call."

"we'll see if I would relay that message to her."

Ren gave a glare to Akashi before leaving with Sousuke. He pulled his scarf to cover the bottom half of his face, the scary expression still on his face. His friend sighed and proceeded to give a light smack on his head with the books he was holding.

"ow- what was that for?"

"that's my line. You never lose your cool. Don't tell me just because you're jealous you—"

"like I said, I'm not…"

"whatever. By the way, why is Kudo-chan in America? Did something happen?"

"if I knew, do you think I would be attempting to beat Akashi up for knowing?"

"point made. Well, let's go and karaoke all night!"

"…yea.." _Shizune..what happened?..._

* * *

Cerulean eyes opened and scanned its surroundings. It then landed on a woman's sleeping figure. Her eyes were obviously worn out from crying too much and the words "Yusaku…please be okay" kept on escaping from the lips of the woman. A small hand stroked the woman's hair in comfort and the dull orbs went to a patient lying on a bed, motionless. He breathed through the oxygen mask provided and the machine beside him beeped steadily.

The girl leaned back on the wall, careful not to move her legs which would disturb her mother who was sleeping soundly with her head on her lap. She didn't get much sleep worrying about her husband so she needed the sleep. She stared at her father and unconsciously clenched her fist. According to the doctor, he was stabbed multiple times around the chest area. The reason for the attack is still unknown and Shizune, for once, felt like she understood the hate most murders felt. Even so, murder or revenge isn't an option for her.

The stagnant atmosphere continued for a long time and Yukiko woke up, slightly refreshed from her nap. She lifted her head from her daughter's lap and cutely stretched then leaned on the girl's shoulder. The blonde solemnly watched her husband on the white bed, praying that he will wake up and show her his warm smile she loved so much. Shizune held her mother's hand as a sign of assuring her that he will be okay.

_Beeeeeeeeeep._

The long, ear piercing beep was a sound of horror to the two females in the room. The older one rushed up to her beloved and started shouting his name with tears flowing down like a huge waterfall while the other ran out to get the doctor. A doctor and some nurses rushed in the room and requested the two to wait outside. Yukiko's tears couldn't stop flowing and she buried her face in her daughter's chest, her body shaking in fear of losing her dear Yusaku. The brunette slowly stroked her mother's hair trying to at least calm her down and anxiously watched them try to revive her father.

_Dad…_

* * *

**thanks for reading!**


	14. No More

A doctor and some nurses rushed in the room and requested the two to wait outside. Yukiko's tears couldn't stop flowing and she buried her face in her daughter's chest, her body shaking in fear of losing her dear Yusaku. The brunette slowly stroked her mother's hair trying to at least calm her down and anxiously watched the doctors try to revive her father.

_Dad…_

When the doctor exited the room some time after, Yukiko asked him the current condition of the man.

"well, Miss Kudo—"

* * *

The day for Rakuzan and Seirin's match has arrived. Even though the match was held during the night, a huge crowd packed the stadium and all were very excited about the game. Noisy chatters filled the place as people discussed on who would win. The Emperor of Creation Rakuzan or The Ever Evolving Seirin.

During the warm-up, some Rakuzan's players did some shooting which they didn't miss while some of the others were preparing to battle their pre-arranged Seirin members. The tight air was then disrupted by Nebuya's very, very, very long burp.

"Just how much did you eat today!? That burp was so damn long! That's the longest burp you've ever made!"

"ouh, I had the MAX I could eat today! After all, my ,match-up today is Kiyoshi, right? It's because our fates are connected. My strength is beginning to swell!"

Mibuchi could only just sigh at the tanned player's statement.

"What about you, Reo-nee?"

"Hyūga Junpei. Didn't you watch the video of Seirin with me?" the raven-haired male turned to face Hayama who asked him. "even though he's emo and not my type, I'll be sure to show him lots of love~"

Somewhere on the court, Hyūga could feel a chill going down his spine.

"Shouldn't you be a lot more worried? You're the one marking Kagami." Mibuchi in return asked the blonde.

"yup! It totally sucks! Well, I'll figure it out! Right, Mr. Thin Eyebrows!" he turned to Mayuzumi who didn't say anything.

"As usual, you're not being serious enough.." the raven-haired male sighed. "Do you even understand the situation we're in?"

"I said I got it!" Hayama started to balance the basketball on his nose and after a while, he dropped the ball and produced a sadistic smile. **"I just need to completely destroy Seirin, right?"**

"…guess you'll be fine then."

"Akashi" Nebuya called out. "you'll be coming out from the start today, right?"

"yes, of course. Those guys are strong. I can't let myself get careless. However, I am absolute…and therefore,.."

"The winner will be Rakuzan. Our basketball is absolute."

Just as they finished their little discussion, a ball rolled up to Akashi who then returned it to Kuroko.

"Tetsuya." He started. "To be frank I'm surprised. I had thought your abilities were too low for you to make it all the way here. Have you found your answer from that time?"

"yes."

"then show me. Your basketball."

"no. What I will be showing isn't my basketball." Kuroko said and took a deep breath. "it's Seirin's basketball."

"I see.." the redhead smirked. "I accept your challenge."

The starting members and staff of each team were introduced through the stadium's speakers excluding Shizune due to her absence. A heavy aura and competitive aura was surrounding the court and everyone pinned their eyes on it.

The tip-off commenced as Kagami and Nebuya jump for the ball. Due to Kagami's high jumping ability, he was able to get the ball and passed it on to Izuki, who then passed the ball to Kuroko, who then used his Ignite Pass Kai, to pass the ball further to . The male didn't catch the ball as Kuroko used too much strength. The ball dribbled under the hoop but luckily Hyūga managed get it, attempting to make the basket when he is stopped by Mibuchi who was guarding him.

"If you caught that, it would have went it. Such a pity"

Rakuzan counter attacks, as Akashi passed the ball to Nebuya, who then heads to make the basket. Kiyoshi who tried to intercept him, was stopped by Mayuzumi. As the tanned muscle gorilla was about to make the basket, he is stopped by Kagami who steals the ball again.

"Good job, Kagami!" the Seirin team cheered from the bench.

He then went for a counterattack. As Kagami runs to the basket, he is stopped by Akashi who went to guard under the basket. However, due to Kagami's strong will to win with his teammates, he was able to enter the Zone and use Meteor Jam to score. Since Kagami has entered the Zone, he has managed to score baskets with two constructive Meteor Jams in a row. When Mayuzumi attempted to score, he is stopped by Kagami who has taken on the position of both offense and defense.

"ara, they're subbing that Kuroko Tetsuya-kun kid out.." Mibuchi pointed out.

"you're right.."

"..."

As the match resumes, Kagami passed Hayama who was guarding him and advanced to the basket, where Mibuchi and Nebuya were guarding.

"don't think the same moves can be used that many times! Just have to know you'll dunk…Then we can stop you right before you jump to the highest point!"

However, Kagami used a fake evading them, scoring the basket. The match continued in Seirin's favour as Hyūga scored a three-pointer. The uncrowned generals started to get a little anxious about the situation.

"Bastard…Kagami…After entering the zone, he's stronger than Midorima…!?" Nebuya cursed. "there's no way to counter!"

"keep the offense the way it is." Akashi commanded. "Defense…Kotarou and I will change places. If you say he is stronger than Shintarou…then this is the only way."

"Let me be his opponent."

* * *

The noisy car honks outside did not bother the blonde haired woman sleeping peacefully with her head on the hospital's bed where her husband was lying. A warm blanket placed over her. After the doctor successfully 'revived' Yusaku, his condition has been getting better and Yukiko has finally calmed down completely knowing that he will be up and moving in a few days.

A nurse walked in slightly to a slight check-up on the patient to see when he can be discharged. The first thing that she noticed was that the couple's young daughter wasn't around. Usually, she would be beside her mother keeping her company but not this time. She was gone. Gone for a walk? The nurse doesn't know and it was none of her business.

* * *

It was currently a few minutes before the 4th quarter ends and Rakuzan was leading 97 – 95. Everyone was nervous of the outcome. The point difference were closer than anyone could imagine and they could see that the players were out of steam. They were all panting heavily and their bodies seemed like at their limit. Even the mighty emperor Akashi was in the same condition.

"Kagami!"

A male voice shouted and Kagami caught the ball he passed over. He charged to Rakuzan's goal but Mibuchi and Nebuya blocked his progress.

"how 'bout just giving up, dear? There's not much time and I'm sure no one will blame you if you lose here"

"don't give me that crap. We made this far so there's no goddamn way we're gonna quit, bastard!" he roared and passed through the MibuNebu defense and scored a goal. The crowd cheered as the point difference decreased and the players got even more tense as the game was reaching its end.

_15 seconds._

"hurry! One more score!"

"don't let them through!"

"defense!"

_8 seconds._

Kuroko passed the ball to Hyūga who then made a shoot which was barely touched by Akashi who went to stop it himself. Courtesy of that, the ball missed.

_2 seconds._

Hayama went for the rebound but Kagami managed to grab the ball and at the last second, with the mixture of his name being shouted by his teammates, he successfully dunked the ball in.

A moment of silence went through the stadium as players and spectators alike were stunned by the score displayed.

97 – 99.

Seirin won.

Once it was registered in their minds, the crowd went wild as they cheered Seirin's name and the Seirin players started shouting and crying from joy. They did it. They beat Rakuzan! It wasn't an illusion. It was reality. It was a fact.

On the other hand, the Emperor of Creation was stunned by their lose. Mibuchi, the least affected one, approached Akashi and gave him a soft pat on the back accompanied with a gentle smile.

"we'll win next time"

Receiving nothing as a response, the raven haired male walked over with the others to line up and officially end the match. They returned to their locker room soon after and not a word was uttered among them. Even Hayama was quiet. Their coach could feel what his boys were feeling even so, he felt that words of comfort would only deepen the scars of defeat that were in their hearts right now.

"Sei-chan.."

The redhead didn't even spare a glance when his name was called. He kept his head low covered with his black sports towel and arms supported on his legs as he sat on the bench. Mibuchi felt his heart cringe at the current sight of his precious captain. It was too saddening for him. He bent down to reach Akashi's level and gently placed his hand on the other's head as a comforting sign. The boy gave no attention to his senior's actions. He still couldn't believe that he had lost. Defeat was suppose to be impossible to him. Then why…

"we'll return to the dorm first, okay?"

Mibuchi smiled and reluctantly left his captain alone to return with the others. Akashi stayed in silence until he heard the room's door being opened. At first, he thought it was just a team member forgetting to take his stuff but unfortunately, it was a mistake.

"Seijuro."

His eyes widened and he instantly stood up. The towel over him landed gracefully on the ground and he faced his father who was looking at him. A disapproving expression was on his face. The cheerful mask he wore around everyone was gone, revealing the real him. His heart felt every so slightly happy because his father came to see his match but the scarlet haired boy knew what his real motive was about so he kept silent and his gaze downwards.

"Seijuro. I'm sure you know the criteria of a member of the Akashis."

"...yes father."

"failure is unacceptable. You lost the game and you call yourself my son? My son shouldn't have to be facing defeat."

Every syllable that escaped the older man's lips went through the boy's heart like a sharp knife but his emotionless composure was maintained.

_Boys shouldn't cry._

Those were the exact words his father told him 10 years ago. Right after his mother's death. Telling a young child not to cry was cruel but to please his dear father, he did so. Even when he saw other children playing with their mother. Even when a young girl his age approached him and scoffed at him for having that kind of logic. Not a tear fell.

"—you are not needed anymore."

He snapped out from his little trail of thought and he raised his head to look at the man in front of him with widened eyes. Shuusaku could understand that he was startled by his declaration so he chose to carve it in his brain.

"you are not needed anymore, Seijuro. Like I said, no son of mine should be tasting defeat. From now on, do not call me 'father'. It is a disgrace to be called father by a loser. You, yourself, is a disgrace."

The older Akashi switched off the lights and left the boy in the room. The redhead felt his legs giving up on him and he dropped on the floor, leaning on the bench behind him for support.

It's over.

It's all over.

His father who he had tried to make him proud has denied his very existence as his child.

He has no one.

He's all alone.

His scarlet eyes slowly turned into a dull colour and he could feel himself being swallowed by the darkness.

Falling into a deep, dark, endless pit of despair.

Where no one can ever, will ever, save him.

_Akashi Seijuro…is no more…_

* * *

**...well-  
that's how I imagine the match will end-**

thanks for reading!


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